Airbnb to fund crisis housing nonprofit with share of every booking

Airbnb will begin setting aside a portion of its revenue from every stay booked on its platform for Airbnb.org, the independent nonprofit that offers free, temporary housing to people in crisis, according to Mindanao Times. The change takes effect on Oct. 26, 2026.

The company said the new funding model is expected to channel US$500 million to Airbnb.org over the next five years. That money is meant to put the nonprofit on track to provide 1 million nights of free housing each year.

Airbnb said guests will not pay more and hosts will not receive less under the arrangement. Neither guests nor hosts need to sign up or take any action.

Airbnb.org has already provided free emergency housing in the Philippines, including after the Davao City earthquake, the Cebu earthquake, and Typhoons Kalmaegi and Fung-wong in 2025, all in partnership with Angat Buhay. It also responded to Typhoon Bavi in 2026.

Menard Mabutol, Program Manager for Climate Action and Sustainability at Angat Buhay, said that after the Cebu earthquake, Airbnb.org provided accommodation for the group's responders while volunteers delivered supplies. He said such a collaboration "makes a real difference in supporting communities affected by disasters."

According to the company, Airbnb.org this year has responded to more than 200 disasters, up from eight in 2023. Nearly 60 percent of its check-ins worldwide in 2026 happened within 24 hours of booking. The added funding will also allow it to support families traveling for medical care and survivors fleeing domestic violence and exploitation.

The nonprofit works with local organizations and government partners to identify people in need, then gives them credits to book a suitable home. Guests stay for free while hosts are paid. Airbnb said it covers the nonprofit's operating costs, so all public donations go to housing, and that it makes no money from Airbnb.org stays.

Since its founding in 2020, Airbnb.org has provided more than 1.6 million nights of free housing to over 250,000 people. Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said the effort traces back to a host who took in people displaced by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.