Mercy Corps

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Mercy Corps

Founder(s)	Ellsworth Culver, Dan O'Neill
Type	501(c)(3)
Founded	1982
Headquarters	Portland, Oregon
Key people	Neal Keny-Guyer, Nancy Lindborg, Dan O'Neill
Area served	Global
Website	www.mercycorps.org

Mercy Corps is a non-profit organization engaged in humanitarian aid and development activities. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided more than US$1 billion in assistance to people in 94 nations^[1]. Supported by headquarters offices in the United States, Scotland and China, the organization employs more than 3,200 staff world-wide in 38 countries and reaches more than 13.5 million people^[1].

1 History
2 Financial accountability
3 Organization
4 Awards and Distinctions
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Mercy Corps Founder Dan O'Neill (left) and late Co-Founder Ellsworth Culver (right) at a refugee camp in Honduras in 1982.

The organization was founded in 1979 as Save the Refugees Fund, a task-force organized by Dan O'Neill in response to the plight of Cambodian refugees fleeing the famine, war and genocide of the Killing Fields. By 1982, the organization had expanded its work to other countries, was joined by Ellsworth Culver (Mercy Corps co-founder), and was renamed Mercy Corps International to reflect its broader mission. After a shift from simply providing relief assistance to focusing on long-term solutions to hunger and poverty, Mercy Corps' first development project began in Honduras in 1982.

[edit] Financial accountability

Since 2002 more than 90 percent of the agency's resources have been allocated directly to programs. The agency's efficiency has consistently placed it as one of Charity Navigator's "Four-Star" charities of choice.^[2]

For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, Mercy Corps' income was US$205 million. US$81 million (40%) was from government grants. US$63 million (31%) was from in-kind donations ("material aid") in the form of food, medical, linens, and other supplies and services. Mercy Corps' expenses were US$191 million, which includes salaries and other compensation for 3,200 paid staff. Mercy Corps' total assets in 2006 were over US$98 million. Neal Keny-Guyer, Chief Executive Officer, received over US$221,000 in compensation.^[3]

[edit] Organization

Mercy Corps is a non-governmental organization (NGO) and a private voluntary organization (PVO). Keny-Guyer is the current CEO of Mercy Corps and Nancy Lindborg currently serves as the organization's President.

Mercy Corps merged with the Conflict Management Group founded by Roger Fisher in 2004.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Awards and Distinctions

On February 1, 2007, U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) nominated Mercy Corps for the Nobel Peace Prize.^[4] Blumenauer primarily supported donations to Mercy Corps during hurricane Katrina.^[5]

Other awards and distinctions include:

The Sitara-i-Eisaar (Star of Sacrifice) award, presented by General Pervez Musharraf, the President of Pakistan, in recognition of Mercy Corps' relief efforts following the 2005 Kashmir earthquake^[6]
The Friendship Medal, presented posthumously to Mercy Corps co-founder Ellsworth Culver, by North Korean Ambassador Han Song Ryol - the first time that medal was presented to an American^[7]
The 2003 Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Award, presented by the Arab American Institute Foundation for long-term efforts to help families living in the Arab world^[8]