Support from Airlink Grant

Airlink

About this grant

Airlink provides airlift and logistics expertise to nonprofit organisations responding to humanitarian crises. It works with more than 50 airlines to match aircraft and routes to specific disaster responses, and coordinates which airline and route best suit each situation. Airlink states that most flights it and its airline partners provide are free to nonprofit partners. For some programmes and response contexts, partners may be asked to share costs of large-scale consignments or complex logistics, and Airlink periodically offers reduced-rate flights. Partners always bear their own costs for document preparation, cargo packaging and hazardous materials preparation, and any cost-sharing is agreed up front. The support covers life-saving and life-sustaining supplies that are specified as needed in a given emergency, such as medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, water filtration equipment, non-perishable food, shelter kits, and emergency non-food items like generators and solar lights. Airlink does not ship educational materials, sports equipment, toys, office supplies or clothing. It works with regional coordination bodies and national emergency management agencies so that its shipments follow national and local government guidelines. Partners receive a centralised system for managing current and past requests, response status and gift-in-kind value, and are connected to other nonprofit agencies through disaster response coordination calls. Emergency requests are reviewed quickly, usually with contact within one business day, and non-emergency applications are reviewed on a rolling basis with decisions typically within two weeks. The page also states that Airlink does not support unaffiliated requests for transport, including spontaneous volunteers travelling to disaster areas or unsolicited goods.

Eligibility

Applicants must be nonprofit humanitarian organisations with a charitable registration, such as 501(c)(3) status, registered charity status, or another recognised international registration. The organisation must have a mandate related to major humanitarian areas: health, food security and nutrition, emergency telecommunications, early recovery, shelter and camp management, WASH, and/or protection. It must abide by the core principles of humanitarian relief, particularly providing sustainable, non-discriminatory and impartial aid. Airlink only partners with agencies that have a mandate to respond to humanitarian crises. It does not partner with universities, individuals seeking to send goods in disasters, donation suppliers, or procurement agencies at this time. The page does not state geographic restrictions, and applications are reviewed by a volunteer-powered Vetting Committee.

How it's scored

Applications are reviewed by Airlink's Humanitarian Programs team, which follows up with the applicant, and then by a volunteer-powered Vetting Committee that approves or denies partnership. Vetting is designed to confirm high-quality organisations with a proven track record of responsible aid. Emergency requests are prioritised and flagged by ticking an immediate-request box. The page does not publish scoring weights.

Key requirements

• ✓Must be a nonprofit organisation responding to a humanitarian crisis or emergency
• ✓Supplies must be life-saving or life-sustaining items specified as needed in the emergency; education, toys, clothing, and office supplies are excluded
• ✓Partners bear their own costs for documentation, cargo packaging and hazardous materials preparation, and may share costs of some flights agreed up front

Funder contact

The notice names a programme contact you can speak to before applying.

Frequently asked questions

Who can apply for Support from Airlink?

Eligibility covers organisations in GLOBAL; nonprofit, charity. See the eligibility criteria above for the full conditions.

Relevant sectors

About this sector

Water funding covers supply, sanitation, wastewater treatment, water efficiency, catchment management and flood risk. A large share is public procurement for infrastructure and services, alongside grants for innovation and access in underserved areas. Bidders and applicants are typically assessed on technical capacity, operating experience and community impact.