About
CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) is a Los Angeles-based crisis response organization co-founded in 2010 by Sean Penn and Ann Lee in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake. Its mission is simple: "We empower communities in and beyond crisis." Originally known as J/P HRO, the organization has grown into a global team that it says has served 14.9 million people and counting, working across 12 U.S. locations and 13 international countries.
Mission
CORE's stated mission is to empower communities in and beyond crisis. Its vision is "a more equitable world in which underserved communities are prepared and can effectively respond to crisis from within."
What they do
CORE organizes its work around three program areas:
- Emergency response and preparedness — deploying to disasters and helping communities get ready before crises strike, including direct cash assistance and long-term disaster case management
- Addressing climate change — responding to the growing toll of climate-driven disasters
- Health access — expanding access to health services in underserved communities
History
CORE was founded after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, killing more than 220,000 people and displacing 1.5 million. Co-founders Sean Penn and Ann Lee met in a displacement camp while responding to the disaster. The organization — then called J/P HRO — operated the largest displacement camp in Haiti and cleared rubble, accomplishing within five years what experts had predicted would take decades. It was later renamed CORE, short for Community Organized Relief Effort.
Scale and impact
CORE reports that it has served 14.9 million people since its founding. It operates in 12 U.S. locations and 13 countries internationally, including Haiti, Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza, Syria, Pakistan, and Brazil.
Financials
According to ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer, CORE Community Organized Relief Effort reported total revenue of $40,428,356, total expenses of $44,331,789, and net assets of $14,620,845 for fiscal year 2024.
Governance
CORE is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Federal Tax ID 27-1703237) headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Its IRS tax exemption ruling dates to 2010.
