Team Rubicon

Team Rubicon is a veteran-led humanitarian organization, built to serve global communities before, during, and after disasters and crises.

Team Rubicon was founded in 2010 after the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Gathering supplies and volunteers, a small group of veterans, first responders, and medical professionals deployed to Haiti in the days following the earthquake. From this initial operation, a larger organization grew, one committed to leveraging our nation’s veterans to help communities impacted by disasters. Team Rubicon strives to utilize veterans’ skills and experience and reach isolated and underserved communities, filling a gap in the space. While other traditional organizations address individuals’ needs such as clothing, food, and shelter, Team Rubicon addresses homeowner needs. Our goal is to restore the safety and health of houses and communities, enabling people to remain or return home. 

Since our founding, Team Rubicon has grown into a widespread organization that has conducted over 1,000 operations and maintains a volunteer base of about 150,000 people. Our vision is when disaster strikes, engaged and trained volunteers are prepared to serve their neighbors in need, and build local resilience. 

To date, Team Rubicon is the only disaster relief organization that repurposes the unparalleled skills and experiences of military veterans to immediately deploy disaster emergency response teams. Through our services, we offer a unique opportunity for our veteran volunteers to harness their latent leadership and service potential.  

Some achievements and project updates we are excited to share:  

To date, we are the first North American nonprofit to receive a WHO certification for EMT Type-1 Mobile Response Team medical operations. This means that we are a member of an elite group of organizations who may enter the most austere environments, providing mobile medical care to people in need. This is a testament to the quality of our services and best-in-class approaches to engaging with communities.  

In addition, TR is pleased that during the pandemic, our teams were able to leverage the use of technology to pivot quickly and connect field teams with partners, external stakeholders, and internal support departments. Particularly using PowerBi in our COVID-19 response, TR was able to consolidate a variety of technology and data collection platforms to streamline information collection, analysis, mapping, and information sharing into one (virtual) gathering place for our volunteers, staff, and partners from all corners of the U.S. This ultimately drove our services and coordinated our sustained impact. 

 Furthermore, with DONOR support, our volunteers delivered tangible impact to communities and organizations most in need through the pandemic including: 

2,400+ individuals served on domestic disaster response and mitigation operations (excludes rebuild) 

3,600+ individuals served on international medical operations 

170+ communities served 

11,300+ TR community members trained 

20+ hurricane-damaged homes rebuilt 

45+ people returned to home 

15,500+ individuals served on COVID-19 medical operations 

1.6+ million COVID-19 vaccination doses administered 

Outcome: Safety and access are improved or restored to vulnerable families’ homes across the U.S, regardless of disaster size and/or location immediately following disaster 

Objective/Goal: Increase by 10% (9,200 people) the number of vulnerable individuals TR engages during and between disasters. 

Outcome: Safety and access is restored to vulnerable communities across the U.S, regardless of disaster size and/or location immediately following disaster. 

Objective/Goal: Increase by 10% (118 communities) the number of vulnerable communities TR engages during and between disasters. 

Outcome: Community members (activated local veteran/civilian volunteers) are prepared, trained, and ready to serve before, during, and after disaster strikes. 

Goal/Objective: Conduct more than 30,000 local trainings and events (in-person and/or online) attended by community members in 2023.

Team Rubicon has several categories or restrictions for donations, however our greatest need is for our Ready Reserve fund, which allows us to respond to disasters quickly and efficiently. We also have several other options, if giving an unrestricted gift is not preferred.

The Resilience Fund, estimated budget $16,007,451 - Contributions to this Fund support Team Rubicon’s ability to build a network of community-based support around the world. We partner with local leaders to recruit and train Team Rubicon’s specialized workforce and activate fire and flood mitigation projects. Supporting this Fund ensures that neighborhoods have increased strength to withstand the changes driven by crisis and resist whatever Mother Nature delivers.

The Response Fund, estimated budget $ 18,326,129 - Contributions to this Fund fuel local response services that help neighborhoods cope with overwhelming challenges amid humanitarian crises, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. Working alongside underserved communities, Team Rubicon’s veteran-led volunteer base provides individuals with timely, free-of-charge services, such as route clearance, debris removal,
home muck-out services, and medical care.

The Recovery Fund, estimated budget $7,833,278 - Contributions to this Fund fuel home rebuild and repair services at no cost to the homeowner. Trained and skilled workers use resilient building methods, wherever possible, to repair immediate damage and make sure
homes can withstand future climate challenges.

Team Rubicon International, estimated budget $2,266,042 - International teams deploy in two distinct scenarios: in a planned and proactive
capacity to actively mitigate a developing or future public health threat, or in a reactive setting to urgent and unmet needs, often in the wake of a disaster.

Team Rubicon works year-round to identify hazard-prone communities most in need of support before, during, and after disasters, relying in part on the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). In 2023, the average SVI of communities served by Team Rubicon was 0.6, indicating moderate to high levels of vulnerability to disaster. By proactively serving at-risk communities through resilience, response, and recovery services, the likelihood of families in these areas experiencing hardships long after disasters have occurred decreases. With Team Rubicon’s services, these communities recover faster and are more resilient to future crises.

Team Rubicon serves vulnerable communities of every size – we are a resource always ready to launch needed responses to disasters big and small, regardless of geography or attention received. Team Rubicon’s disaster services restore the future (mitigation), immediate (response) and long-term (recovery) safety and resilience of homes damaged and/or destroyed by disasters for vulnerable families and individuals.  

Team Rubicon has both a national and international presence. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Team Rubicon also has a National Operations Center in Texas and a Tactical Operations Center in Chicago. With locations around the country, the organization can respond to needs locally and efficiently. We have deployed events and operations in all 50 states of the US and beyond.

Team Rubicon also has an international team capable of deploying around the world to conduct medical operations and bolster public health systems. This team typically deploys in countries where the public health infrastructure has become overwhelmed following disasters or humanitarian crises and provides critical medical support. Team Rubicon’s Canadian branch—Team Rubicon Canada—is headquartered in Ontario and serves all Canadian provinces.

On behalf of all Team Rubicon Greyshirts and those we serve, thank you for your generous support this past year. As a dedicated donor, you allow us to respond where we were needed most.

This year has been a testament to resilience and collective action. From unprecedented flooding in California, to the devastating Maui wildfires and global crises like earthquakes and flooding, your support enabled Team Rubicon to show up for communities in need.

In 2023, Team Rubicon launched over 130 operations and served over 28,600 individuals in more than 250 communities around the world.

Thank you for standing with us as we strive to build a more resilient and compassionate world. Your support has been instrumental in our journey, and we look forward to continuing this important work together in the coming year.

Thank you for investing in Team Rubicon’s mission.

In Service
Art delaCruz
Greyshirt & CEO

Jake Wood is cofounder and Executive Chairman of the Board of Team Rubicon, the only nonprofit disaster response organization that utilizes the skills of military veterans to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. In giving veterans an opportunity to continue their service, Team Rubicon provides them with a sense of purpose, community, and identity. Since the organization’s founding in 2010 following the massive Haiti earthquake, Team Rubicon has responded to over 1000 disasters and grown from eight to 160,000 volunteer members. Under Wood’s leadership, the organization has responded following Hurricane Sandy; the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma; Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines; wildfire in Pateros, Washington; the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal and most recently Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017.

As a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, Wood deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as a Scout Sniper and earned the Navy-Marine Commendation Medal. A leading veterans’ advocate, Wood has briefed President Obama on veterans’ issues, met with former Presidents Bush and Clinton on veteran transition and disaster response and testified before a Senate committee to improve mental health care services for returning veterans. He has also appeared in the major media, including MSNBC, CNN, NBC, ABC, Al Jazeera, US News & World Report, Forbes, Fox News and penned an op-ed for The New York Times. In 2014, Crown Publishing published Wood’s book, Take Command: Lessons in Leadership.

Wood has received numerous awards including Chronicle of Philanthropy’s “40 Under Forty”; Goldman Sachs “100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs” award; and was selected as a CNN Hero in 2012.