Disaster Grantmaking: The Case of Katrina

news flash

Dear ICF Friends and Donors, Re: Hurricane Katrina Update-September 2, 2005 As you are now well aware the impacts of Hurricane Katrina have been truly devastating. Thousands of people are believed dead or missing. The losses suffered by residents of the Gulf Coast are immeasurable. It may take years for many of these communities to fully re-cover. Since our last email to you, the Greater New Orleans Community Foundation (http://www.gnof.org) has temporarily closed their office. In the interim, the GNOF is working closely with the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (www.braf.org) to establish two new funds in response to Hurricane Katrina: --The Hurricane Katrina Displaced Residents Fund will benefit those individuals and families evacuated to Baton Rouge, who are now unable to return for what may be an extended period. Early official estimates suggest that as many as 500,000 individuals have been displaced for up to six months, and will face numerous challenges related to housing, food, education, healthcare and basic survival necessities. --The Hurricane Katrina New Orleans Recovery Fund will focus on the rebuilding of infrastructure to provide basic human services to residents of the devastated areas. Tax deductible donations to one or both of these funds are now being accepted online at www.braf.org. Over the past several days, several ICF donors have inquired about ways to also assist affected commnunities in Mississippi and Alabama. In Alabama, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, www.foundationbirmingham.org, has established the following two funds: -----Hurricane Katrina Displaced Residents Fund: Donations will be used to support organizations and programs meeting the food, education, health care and basic survival needs of people who have been evacuated to the greater Birmingham area from the Gulf Coast regions. ----Hurricane Katrina Recovery Fund - Alabama, Louisiana or Mississippi: Contributions to this fund will be directed according to the wishes of the donor and can be specified for recovery efforts in Alabama, Louisiana or Mississippi. Contributions will be processed locally, without administrative fee, and forwarded to the community foundation serving these areas as they focus on rebuilding infrastructure and providing basic human services to residents of each state. Additionally, the Foundation of the Mid-South located in Jackson, Mississippi (http://www.fndmidsouth.org/) has established the Hurricane Katrina Recovery and Restoration Fund to benefit those impacted by the disaster and the forthcoming recovery efforts. 100% of the contributions made to the Fund will benefit nonprofits in the Mid South, particularly in Southern Louisiana, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and the Alabama Gulf Coast, working to rebuild the lives and communities of those affected by the disaster. Other organizations that are engaged in relief efforts include the following. Episcopal Relief & Development: 1-800-334-7626 United Methodist Committee on Relief: 1-800-554-8583 Salvation Army: 1-800-SAL-ARMY Catholic Charities: 1-800-919-9338 American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/ To help you form your own response, I encourage you to consult a free publication entitled, Disaster Grantmaking: A Practical Guide for Foundations and Corporations which can be downloaded from the Council on Foundations website. http://www.cof.org/files/Documents/International_Programs/disasterguide.pdf. I hope this information is both timely and useful as you determine the best way to support those most directly impacted by Hurricane Katrina---America's worst natural disaster in history. Sincerely, Richard Kiy President & CEO International Community Foundation