Posted on May 6, 2008

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9/11 Survivors' Fund Closes in D.C.

The largest charity established to help Washington-area victims and their families is closing, becoming the last major 9/11-related charity to shut down, the Washington Post reports.

The closing of the Survivors' Fund brings an unofficial end to the nation's philanthropic response to the 2001 terrorist attacks, in which millions of people and businesses donated $2.7 billion to hundreds of charities. The Survivors' Fund raised $25 million from more than twelve thousand area residents and businesses, which was used to help the grieving, the distressed, and the traumatized in a way that is being hailed as a model of charitable giving.

Based in part on the model implemented after the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building, the charity hired professional case managers to work with families one-on-one, paid household bills for families who fell behind, and guided survivors to medical care and mental health counseling. If a family's primary breadwinner had been lost, it helped other family members return to school and find jobs. During the first seven months after the attacks, the fund spent just $800,000.

Its leaders, knowing the donations would eventually dry up, wanted to be around to help families over the long haul. Over its lifetime, the charity allocated 58 percent of its funds to helping families pay bills, while about 14 percent of donations went toward education for survivors, 14 percent to meet emotional and mental-health needs, and 11 percent to help pay for victims' medical expenses. According to a survey commissioned by the Survivors' Fund last year, nearly three-quarters of those affected by the Pentagon attacks said they believed the charity's case-management model worked better than if it had disbursed lump-sum cash payments.

"We don't know when or if the next tragedy will strike," said fund chairman Daniel K. Mayers. "But I do think that it's very important to at least say 'Here's how we did it, here's how our community got together, and here are the facts and a legacy for the future.'"

Rucker, Philip. “9/11 Charity Held Up as Model of How Best to Help Bereaved.” Washington Post 5/04/08.

Primary Subject: 9/11 Response
Location(s): Washington, DC

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