Financial assistance following the September 11 attacks

Last updated

Charities and relief agencies raised over $657 million in the three weeks following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the vast bulk going to immediate survivors and victims' families.

Contents

Government assistance

On September 21, 2001, the Congress approved a bill [1] to aid the airline industry and establish a federal fund for victims. The cost of the mostly open-ended fund reached $7 billion. Victims of earlier terrorist attacks, including those linked to al-Qaida, were not included in the fund, nor were those who would not surrender the right to hold the airlines legally responsible. [2]

American Red Cross

In the aftermath of the attack, the American Red Cross' Liberty Fund amassed $547 million in donations. The charitable organization halted the collection of donations in October 2001, announcing that the monies pledged would be enough to cover immediate and longterm efforts to support the victims of the attack. [3] While the Red Cross initially announced its intentions to put as much as $247 million of the fund toward preparedness for future terrorist attacks, the organization reversed course in the wake of extreme criticism and announced the entire fund would go toward victims. [3]

In February of 2002, the New York Times reported that the Red Cross had "distributed about $200 million to more than 30,000 displaced workers" as of the date of publication. [4]

In addition to financial donations, the American Red Cross collected nearly 1.2 million units of blood between Sept. 11 and Oct. 30, according to a New York Times article published in November of 2001. [5]

Other charitable drives

Emergency supplies

On Thursday and Friday, September 14–15 September 2001, various relief supplies for the World Trade Center relief effort were collected from the New York City area, and dropped off at the Javits Convention Center or at a staging area at Union Square. By Saturday morning, enough supplies (and volunteers) were collected.[ citation needed ]

Memorial funds

Many families and friends of victims have set up memorial funds and projects to give back to their communities and change the world in honor of their loved ones' lives. Examples include:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cantor Fitzgerald</span> American financial services company

Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. is an American financial services firm that was founded in 1945. It specializes in institutional equity, fixed-income sales and trading, and serving the middle market with investment banking services, prime brokerage, and commercial real estate financing. It is also active in new businesses, including advisory and asset management services, gaming technology, and e-commerce. It has more than 5,000 institutional clients.

The September 11 attacks of 2001 were a major event that had a significant long-lasting impact even beyond the day of the attacks itself. This article summarizes events which relate to the attacks in the remaining days of September 2001. News coverage was significant in the period after the attacks which meant that many of these events were reported on quickly by news agencies at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Way</span> Nonprofit organization

United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual United Ways mobilize a single fundraising campaign to raise money for various nonprofits, with most donations coming through payroll deductions.

A telethon is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marriott World Trade Center</span> Hotel in Manhattan, New York (1981–2001)

The New York Marriott World Trade Center was a 22-story 825-room hotel within the original World Trade Center complex in Manhattan, New York City. Situated on the original Three World Trade Center, It opened in April 1981 as the Vista International Hotel and was the first major hotel to open in Lower Manhattan south of Canal Street since 1836. In November 1995, it was bought by Marriott Corporation and renamed the Marriott World Trade Center.

Trường Đình Trần, a Vietnamese-American, was born in South Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LDS Humanitarian Services</span> Charitable services within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Latter-day Saint Charities is a branch of the welfare department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The organization's stated mission is to relieve suffering, to foster self-reliance for people of all nationalities and religions, and to provide opportunities for service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spirit of America (charity)</span>

Spirit of America (SoA) is a US non-governmental and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works alongside American military personnel and diplomats to promote American values abroad by saving and improving lives. The organization provides material goods, programs, and personnel to help the United States Government achieve its objectives. Spirit of America was founded in 2003 by Los Angeles based venture capitalist, Jim Hake, who in the wake of the September 11th attacks sought to directly support conventional military and special operation teams performing reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Charity Navigator gave Spirit of America an overall 4-star rating for 2019 fiscal year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Star Spangled Banner (Whitney Houston recording)</span> 1991 single by Whitney Houston

"The Star Spangled Banner" is a charity single recorded by American singer Whitney Houston to raise funds for soldiers and families of those involved in the Persian Gulf War. Written by Francis Scott Key and John Stafford Smith, "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The musical arrangement for Houston's rendition was by conductor John Clayton. The recording was produced by music coordinator Rickey Minor, along with Houston herself. The recording was included in the 2014 CD/DVD release, Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances and the US edition of the 2000 release, Whitney: The Greatest Hits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Katrina disaster relief</span>

The disaster recovery response to Hurricane Katrina in late 2005 included U.S. federal government agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), state and local-level agencies, federal and National Guard soldiers, non-governmental organizations, charities, and private individuals. Tens of thousands of volunteers and troops responded or were deployed to the disaster; most in the affected area but also throughout the U.S. at shelters set up in at least 19 states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flight 93 National Memorial</span> 9/11 memorial in Pennsylvania, US

The Flight 93 National Memorial is a memorial built to commemorate the crash of United Airlines Flight 93, which was one of four aircraft hijacked during the September 11 attacks in 2001. The memorial is located in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, with the vast majority in Stonycreek Township, and with a small portion in Shade Township. It is 78 miles (126 km) southeast of Pittsburgh, 122 miles (196 km) west of Harrisburg, and 226 miles (364 km) west of Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fistula Foundation</span> American maternal health organization

Fistula Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization focused on treatment of obstetric fistula, funding more repair surgeries than any other organization, public or private. As of September 2024, Fistula Foundation supports hospital and doctors in more than 30 countries across Africa and Asia. The foundation is dedicated to treating obstetric fistula by covering the full cost of fistula repair surgery for poor women who would otherwise not be able to access treatment. They also provide fistula surgeon training, equipment and facility upgrades that make fistula treatment as safe as possible, post-surgery counseling and support for healed patients. The foundation has been recognized by several organizations for its transparency, effectiveness and efficiency, earning a top "A" rating from CharityWatch and a four star rating from Charity Navigator for 16 years in a row, placing it in the top 1% of charities reviewed on the site. In 2023, the foundation received a $15 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, announced alongside a new five-year strategic plan that will advance the foundation's In It to End It vision. The foundation has also been selected as one of 22 charities recommended by Princeton Professor Peter Singer's organization, The Life You Can Save. The organization's cost-effectiveness was also noted by GiveWell in 2019.

Rhonda Roland Shearer is an American sculptor, scholar, and journalist, who founded the nonprofit organization Art Science Research Laboratory with her late husband Stephen Jay Gould. The mission statement avows that the lab aims to "infuse intellectual rigor and critical thinking in disciplines that range from Academics to Journalism. ASRL researches conventional beliefs and misinformation and transmits its findings by means of scientific methods and state-of-the-art computer technologies."

The New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the families of New York City's first responders who have been killed in the line of duty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humanitarian response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake</span>

The response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake included national governments, charitable and for-profit organizations from around the world which began coordinating humanitarian aid designed to help the Haitian people. Some countries arranged to send relief and rescue workers and humanitarian supplies directly to the earthquake damage zones, while others sought to organize national fund raising to provide monetary support for the nonprofit groups working directly in Haiti. OCHA coordinates and tracks this on a daily basis. The information is disseminated through the UN news and information portal, ReliefWeb. As of September 5, 2013, ReliefWeb have reported a total relief funding of $3.5 billion given.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humanitarian response by non-governmental organizations to the 2010 Haiti earthquake</span>

The humanitarian responses by non-governmental organizations to the 2010 Haiti earthquake included many organisations, such as international, religious, and regionally based NGOs, which immediately pledged support in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Besides a large multi-contingency contribution by national governments, NGOs contributed significantly to both on-the-ground rescue efforts and external solicitation of aid for the rescue efforts.

This article describes humanitarian responses from "for-profit" organizations, such as business corporations, following the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syrian Arab Red Crescent</span>

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) is a humanitarian nonprofit organization. Its headquarters are in the Syrian capital city of Damascus. The society was founded in Damascus, Syria in 1942, and admitted to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in 1946. Some of founders included were Abdul-Kader Zahra, Jamil Kabara, Sami Al-Meedani, Shafiq Diyab, Mustafa Shawky, Ahmed Kadary, Wade Saydawy, Mounib Rifai, and others. The society is part of the International Federation and has been recognized by the ICRC. The SARC has 14 branches all over Syria and 75 sub-branches. Volunteer based, the SARC has around 11,000 trained volunteers that work in the areas of first aid, first aid training, disaster response and relief, psycho-social support, and health in general. SARC also partners with local charity organizations and works with the relevant components of the Syrian community, with UN agencies and NGOs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humanitarian response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami</span>

Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Japan received messages of condolence and offers of assistance from a range of international leaders. According to Japan's foreign ministry, 163 countries and regions, and 43 international organizations had offered assistance to Japan as of September 15, 2011. The magnitude of the earthquake was estimated at 9.1. This article is a list of charitable and humanitarian responses to the disaster from governments and non-governmental organizations. As of March 2012, donations to areas affected by the disaster totalled ¥520 billion and 930,000 people have assisted in disaster recovery efforts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Lutnick</span> American businessman (born 1961)

Howard William Lutnick is an American businessman, who succeeded Bernard Gerald Cantor as the head of Cantor Fitzgerald. Lutnick is the chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Group. After losing 658 employees, including his brother, in the September 11 attacks, Lutnick also survived the subsequent collapse of the towers on the ground, and has since become known for his charity efforts through the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund, which helps to aid families of victims of the attacks and natural disasters.

References

  1. "Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act (2001; 107th Congress H.R. 2926) - GovTrack.us". Archived from the original on 2019-09-30. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
  2. "Pub. L. No. 107-42, § 405(c)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-02-22. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
  3. 1 2 Brick, Michael (2001-11-14). "All of Sept. 11 Fund Will Go to Victims, Red Cross Says". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  4. Chen, David W. (2002-02-15). "A NATION CHALLENGED: CHARITIES; 9/11 Charities Set Cutoff Date For Applicants". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  5. Hernandez, Raymond (2001-11-12). "DONATIONS; Getting Too Much of a Good Thing". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  6. Campbell, David A. (December 2010). "Organic and sustainable: The emergence, formalization, and performance of a September 11 disaster relief organization". Nonprofit Management and Leadership. 21 (2): 139–153. doi:10.1002/nml.20017.
  7. "The Star Spangled Banner". Whitney Houston Official Site. Archived from the original on 2019-05-03. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  8. "RTÉ News (Ireland)". RTÉ.ie . 13 September 2001. Archived from the original on 2004-11-20. Retrieved 2007-12-19.