WASHINGTON, May 5, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region today released the publication "Process for Disaster Recovery: Lessons for Foundations and Other Partners," documenting lessons learned from its Survivors' Fund, which was set up in 2001 to aid victims of the September 11 Pentagon attack. Intended as a tool for communities facing future disasters, the publication was distributed to philanthropic leaders from around the world at a mini-summit on "Disaster and Crisis Recovery: Restoring the Human Spirit in Our Communities" at the Council on Foundations' Leadership Summit in National Harbor, MD, outside Washington, D.C.
"By highlighting specific elements of the Survivors' Fund program, we hope to inform the growing body of information relating to emergency preparedness for the fields of philanthropy and social work," write Daniel K. Mayers, Chair of the Fund's Governance Board, and Terri Lee Freeman, President of The Community Foundation, in the publication's introduction.
Also this week, The Community Foundation published the seventh and final Survivors' Fund Report to the Community, chronicling the Fund's work over nearly seven years. The report includes a chronology of significant events in the life of the Fund (see attached), profiles of survivors and a summary of the Fund's final evaluation conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc., a nationally recognized research firm. "As one of the few evaluations conducted by a 9/11 Fund, the Hart study offers valuable data for the philanthropic, social work and emergency preparedness fields," said Mayers.
"Just as the Survivors' Fund leadership adapted the Oklahoma City response mechanism, other communities may want to refine and adapt our model for use in responding to other crises," Mayers added.
Copies of both publications are available from The Community Foundation at info@thecommunityfoundation.org or at www.thecommunityfoundation.org.
Officially incorporated in December 2001, the Survivors' Fund was established to support the long-term recovery of individuals and families affected by the Pentagon attack. More than 12,000 people and organizations contributed to the Fund, resulting in $25 million in assets. The Fund provided case management and financial support to 1,051 individuals in 45 states and the District of Columbia until March 31, when the Fund closed its doors. Through a special trust, 19 families continue to receive ongoing financial assistance for varying periods of time in order to promote their recovery.
The country's largest charity devoted exclusively to supporting the needs of families affected by the September 11 attack on the Pentagon, the Survivors' Fund was the largest project undertaken by The Community Foundation in its 35-year history.
The Community Foundation is the largest funder of nonprofit organizations in the Washington, D.C. area. In FY2007, it distributed more than $96 million in grants to nonprofit organizations in the Washington metropolitan region and beyond. To learn more about The Foundation, call (202) 955-5890 or visit www.thecommunityfoundation.org.
The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3032
The Survivors' Fund Chronology
September 11, 2001
As part of the worst terrorist act in American history, the attack on the Pentagon claims the lives of 184 innocent people and directly affects thousands of other individuals and families.
September 12, 2001
Washington-area philanthropic and community leaders and institutions entrust The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region -- the region's largest funder of local nonprofit organizations -- with the responsibility for creating a fund to help survivors and families directly affected by the September 11 Pentagon attack.
September 16, 2001
The Washington Post announces the Survivors' Fund in a full-page advertisement donated by the newspaper. Advertisements in The Washington Post and several Time Warner magazines continue to run for several months.
October 2001
Fannie Mae contributes $5 million, in what would become the largest gift to the Fund. By December, more than $16 million has been donated by more than 12,000 individuals, corporations and other organizations from the Greater Washington area and around the world. Contributions continued to come into the Fund until 2008, resulting in a total of $25 million. In addition, The Community Foundation taps Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS), a private nonprofit organization that has been providing prevention, intervention and advocacy services to the Greater Washington region for some 80 years, to provide case management services for those eligible to receive support from the Survivors' Fund.
November 2001
The Survivors' Fund is officially incorporated and its Governance Board convenes for the first time. The Board would continue to meet, monthly at first, then quarterly, for close to seven years. In that time, the Fund's Distributions Committee met nearly 100 times to consider more than 3,600 funding requests.
July 2002
NVFS's Survivors' Fund Project is awarded a contract from the American Red Cross (ARC) September 11th Recovery Program to expand services to persons affected by the New York and Pennsylvania attacks residing in the National Capital Region. As such, NVFS becomes the first nonprofit organization to receive a grant from the ARC to provide case management services to disaster-affected populations. ARC replicates the successful model and grants millions of dollars to case management agencies nationwide.
September 2002
The Survivors' Fund commissions the Children's Research Institute at Children's National Medical Center to conduct a preliminary "Survey of Survivor Satisfaction" assessing the effectiveness of the Fund in meeting the needs of its beneficiaries. The survey reveals that survivors are highly satisfied with services, financial support and the effectiveness of the case management model.
October 2002
The Community Foundation convenes the Greater Washington Task Force on Nonprofit Emergency Preparedness, a group comprised of nonprofits and other organizations, to examine lessons learned from the Pentagon attack and to improve the region's preparedness in the event of future disasters. The Task Force, with pro bono assistance from McKinsey & Company, later released two reports on the role of the nonprofit sector in disaster response and recovery. The recommendations in the report led to funding from the Department of Homeland Security to strengthen the sector's preparedness.
February 2003
Fourteen months into the life of the Fund, nearly 50% of its assets have been committed to survivors. Taking into account declining resources and the desire to meet future needs, the Fund's Governance Board refines its funding guidelines to ensure that the remaining funds are allocated to assist those having the greatest financial and coping challenges and the fewest resources.
September 2003
As part of its ongoing effort to improve the quality of services and refine its model, the Fund commissions a second "Survey of Survivor Satisfaction" conducted by Children's National Medical Center. While an 89% rate of satisfaction indicates that survivors are pleased with the operation of the Fund, participants also provide recommendations for improvements.
January 2005 through June 2007
NVFS, through a second grant from the American Red Cross September 11th Recovery Program, begins providing group services on topics ranging from trauma recovery to personal budget management and career planning.
January 2005
Through a grant from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services with operational support from the Survivors' Fund, NVFS's Survivors' Fund Project begins providing targeted outreach to first responders, and develops a range of trauma education and prevention publications.
July 2006
The Survivors' Fund commissions Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc., a nationally recognized research firm, to evaluate its effectiveness in serving clients. Completed in March 2007, the evaluation concludes that the Survivors' Fund has had a measurable, positive impact on the lives of individuals and families directly affected by the 2001 Pentagon attack.
August 2006
The Survivors' Fund announces that it will conclude operations as of March 2008, providing a plan to strategically phase-out services over time.
October 1, 2006
The Survivors' Fund ceases accepting new clients and focuses its resources and assistance on families currently receiving services.
April 1, 2007
Case management services shift from the intensive model used throughout the life of the Fund to "aftercare services," which include outreach and referrals to community resources and support groups during the final year of the Fund's operations. A small number of clients continue to require intensive case management support.
April 1, 2007
The Fund ceases making new financial commitments to individual survivors.
March 31, 2008
The Survivors' Fund closes its doors. In nearly seven years, the Fund served 517 households, or 1,051 individuals. Through a special trust, 19 families continue to receive ongoing financial assistance for varying periods of time in order to reach or maintain stability.