Charities Have Played an Unprecedented Role in the Amount of Money Collected and Types of Assistance Provided to September 11 Survivors

While it may be difficult to tally precisely the total amount of funds collected, 35 of the larger charities have raised almost $2.7 billion and distributed about 70 percent of the money. Charities used the money they collected to provide cash and a broad range of services to people directly and indirectly affected, although questions about how best to use the funds as well as service delivery difficulties complicated charities’ responses. Charities Provided Cash and a Broad Range of Services to People Directly and Indirectly Affected

Charities provided a wide range of assistance to the different categories of individuals affected, including the families of those killed, those indirectly affected through the loss of a job or displacement from their home, and services provided to the rescue workers and volunteers, as shown in table 2. While most of the September 11 funds have been distributed in the first year, some charities are planning to provide services over the longer term. Charities and Oversight Agencies Have Several Accountability Measures in Place; Relatively Few Cases of Fraud Identified So Far

Charities and government oversight agencies have taken a number of steps to prevent fraud, and relatively few cases have been uncovered so far. While information is available on identified fraud cases, the total extent of fraud is not known and will be difficult for oversight agencies and charities to assess. Third, it may also be difficult to track fund-raising by groups using September 11 to solicit for other purposes. Some efforts are under way to address these issues. However, the independence of charitable organizations, while one of their key strengths, will make implementation of these lessons learned dependent on close collaboration and agreement among these independent organizations. While some charitable organizations are taking steps to incorporate lessons learned, they face significant challenges. Conclusions

Overall, charitable aid made a major contribution in the nation’s response to the September 11 attacks. Through the work of these charities, millions of people have been able to contribute to the recovery effort and provide assistance to those directly and indirectly affected by the attacks. While much has been accomplished by charities in this disaster, lessons or strategies have also been identified related to improving access to aid, enhancing coordination among charities and between charities and FEMA, increasing attention to public education, and planning for future events that could improve future responses in disasters.
Why GAO Did This Study

Surveys suggest that as many as two-thirds of American households have donated money to charitable organizations to aid in the response to the September 11 disasters. To provide the public with information on the role of charitable aid in assisting those affected by the attacks, GAO was asked to report on the amount of donations charities raised and distributed, the accountability measures in place to prevent fraud by organizations and individuals, and lessons learned about how to best distribute charitable aid in similar situations.

What GAO Found

Although it may be difficult to precisely tally the total amount of funds raised in response to the September 11 attacks, 35 of the larger charities have reported raising an estimated $2.7 billion since September 11, 2001. About 70 percent of the money that has been collected by these 35 charities has been reported distributed to survivors or spent on disaster relief since September 11, 2001. Charities used the money they collected to provide direct cash assistance and a wide range of services to families of those killed, those more indirectly affected through loss of their job or residence, and to disaster relief workers. Some of the charities plan to use funds to provide services over the longer term, such as for scholarships, mental health counseling, and employment assistance. Charities and government oversight agencies have taken a number of steps to prevent fraud by individuals or organizations, and relatively few cases have been uncovered so far. However, the total extent of fraud is not known and will be difficult to assess particularly in situations when organizations solicit funds on behalf of September 11 but use the funds for other purposes. Overall, charitable aid made a major contribution in the nation's response to the September 11 attacks, despite very difficult circumstances. Through the work of charities, millions of people contributed to the recovery effort. At the same time, lessons have been learned that could improve future charitable responses in disasters, including easing access to aid, enhancing coordination among charities and between charities and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), increasing attention to public education, and planning for future events. FEMA and some charitable organizations have taken some steps to address these issues. However, the independence of charitable organizations, while one of their key strengths, will make the implementation of these lessons dependent on close collaboration and agreement among charities involved in aiding in disasters.