Like many people, I ponied up for the Red Cross in the early days of the Katrina disaster. But since then, I’ve heard some disquieting rumors about how they use donations. I don’t expect a charitable entity to be 100% perfect, nor do I think one or two missteps in the confusion of an urgent relief effort should be an excuse not to donate. And I don’t get mad that the Red Cross banks some money for future disasters. Still, the CEO’s salary is almost half a million dollars a year. So I’ve been looking for an alternative.
This weekend, a friend who is doing some writing for a philanthropy magazine offered an excellent suggestion: the community foundations for New Orleans and Baton Rouge. These are the umbrella charitable groups that dispense funds to numerous local organizations. They have been on the ground down there all along, and have the best sense of local needs.
The Greater New Orleans Foundation has lost its offices for the time being, and is being hosted by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. If you want to target your donations for Katrina relief, the best bet is their new joint venture: Foundations for Recovery.
From the front page of FoundationsforRecovery.org:
FoundationsforRecovery.org, a collaboration between the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and The Greater New Orleans Foundation, has established two funds in response to the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Katrina to southeast Louisiana. To date, over $7,500,000 has been raised between these two funds.
The Hurricane Katrina Displaced Residents Fund will benefit those individuals evacuated to Baton Rouge from the hurricane impacted areas in Greater New Orleans, who are now unable to return for what maybe an extended period. Early official estimates suggest that as many as 500,000 individuals may be required to remain in our area for up to six months, and they will face numerous challenges related to housing, food, education, healthcare and basic survival necessities. This fund will support those entities and programs in our area that endeavor to meet these critical needs, as well as address the impact this influx of residents will have on our community.
The Hurricane Katrina New Orleans Recovery Fund will focus on the rebuilding of infrastructure to provide basic human services to residents of these devastated areas. FoundationsforRecovery.org will coordinate closely with federal, state and local officials in an attempt to provide resources to programs and efforts that positively and immediately impact the quality of life of these individuals, and contribute to the overall rebuilding of critical service delivery mechanisms in the Greater New Orleans area.
The Baton Rouge Area Foundation and Greater New Orleans Foundation value the contributions of each donor and take their stewardship responsibilities seriously.
Foundations for Recovery was created to (1) recognize the incredible support of community and private foundations, and individual donors around the country; and (2) fulfill our commitment to transparency and open reporting.
Since we believe that integrity in grantmaking requires great diligence, our staff reviews the practices and capacity of every organization making a grant request for the basic care and relief of Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Baton Rouge. Applicant programs, prior to approval, undergo thorough evaluations and onsite rapid assessments. We’ll use this site to provide reports on the grants we’ve issued, and updates on the progress our community programs are making.
Please pass this info along!
More commentary at The Situation Room
