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Since the first part of June, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Missouri, Wisconsin, and other states have been battered
with severe weather and deluged with rain. The result
in many locations is catastrophic, "500-year"
flooding.
.
Donors Forum has gathered the resources below to to
aid donors in making the most effective use of donations
to the relief effort.
News
and Resources
Disasters
Sap Some Nonprofit Resources
Local Red Cross and Salvation Army officials say they
are in greater need after tornadoes and floods hit the
Midwest. From The Wichita Eagle.
Disaster
Relief Legislation Introduced
A group of Midwestern U.S. senators have introduced
legislation to create tax incentives for charitable
giving to help victims of the storms, tornadoes, and
floods that have hit their region, The Chronicle
of Philanthropy reports.
Updated
information for Charities and Contributors Available
from the IRS
Funds
to Provide Help to Flood Victims
The Central Minnesota Community Foundation and United
Way of Central Minnesota are partnering to help Midwestern
flood victims. From sctimes.com.
Donations
for Midwest Floods Reach $16.3 Million
From The Chronicle of Philanthropy
American
Red Cross
How to donate to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief
Fund
Resources
Collected by Grantmaker Associations in Other States
FAQs
About Charitable Organizations Providing Disaster Relief
Fact sheet from the Internal Revenue Service
Flood
2008 Fund
The Greater Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Community Foundation
(GCRCF) has opened the Flood 2008 Fund to accept donations
from individuals and businesses. The offices of GCRCF
have relocated as a result of the flooding in downtown
Cedar Rapids. Although their foundation office received
minimal damage, they cannot resume onsite operations
until the first floor of the building, occupied by a
bank, can be cleaned and power restored. The first floor
of the bank was completely destroyed by the flood waters.
Consumer
Alert: Remain Alert for 'Storm Chasers' After Floods
Issued
by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan
FEMA
Coordinates Federal Response to Midwest Disasters
From the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Illinois
Government News Network
Updates on news of Illinois flooding
2008
Iowa Flood Resource Center
Issued by the governor
Latest
Indiana Storm Damage Information
Issued by the Indiana state
government
Wisconsin
State Journal
Updates on news of Wisconsin flooding
Donations
for Missouri Disaster Relief
Sponsored by the State of Missouri Emergency Management
Agency
Salvation
Army Responds in Wake of Midwest Storms
Details the Salvation Army's response, with information
giving
State
of Illinois Flood Report
Issued by the state
Statement
of Response by the State of Illinois
Issued by the governor
Red
Cross Taking out Loans to Pay for Shelters, Food Across
Seven Midwestern States Battered by Floods
From The Washington Post
Before
You Call for Federal Disaster Relief
From the University of Illinois Extension
Photos
of the Flooding in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Area
Courtesy of local photographer Andrea Lynn
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Giving Guides for Grantmakers
NEW -
Power
Amidst Chaos: Foundation Support for Advocacy Related
to Disasters (pdf)
Foundations need to help build alliances between sectors
before a disaster strikes. This report from Alliance
for Justice suggests greater advocacy could have lessened
Hurricane Katrina's damage.
NEW -
Best Practices in Disaster Grantmaking: Lessons from
the Gulf Coast (pdf)
Foundations must be willing to take risks and overcome
their "inherent cautiousness" in funding unfamiliar
organizations responding to a disaster, but they also
must be patient and wait to commit some portion of grantmaking
for when "gaps" become apparent after initial
relief support, according to this report from the New
York Regional Association of Grantmakers.
NEW -
Grantcraft's
Grants to Individuals: Investing in People and their
Communities
(pdf)
According to this Grantcraft publication, there's a
counterintuitive need in an emergency -- when everybody's
in need -- to take time, slow down a little bit, and
establish specific eligibility criteria and working
systems.
- Disaster
Grantmaking, A Practical Guide for Foundations and
Corporations
(pdf)
Advice from the
Council on Foundations for grantmakers who want to
aid disaster relief efforts.
- Interaction:
Guide to Appropriate Giving
Interaction, an alliance
of international development and humanitarian organizations,
explains what types of gifts will best help those
in need.
- Family
Matters: In Times of War and Disaster
(pdf)
Family Matters,
the Council on Foundation's journal for family
foundations, explores how foundations respond to war,
terrorism and natural disasters, as well as IRS rules
regarding assisting victims of disasters.
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Giving Tips
for Individual Donors
- IRS:
Disaster Relief - Providing Assistance Through Charitable
Organizations (pdf)
Helpful tips about charities and tax deductions for
people who want to make contributions to disaster
relief efforts.
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Grantmaking
Members' Responses to the Midwest Flooding Crisis
HSBC - North
America
HSBC - North America opened up its matching gifts program
in support of relief efforts in the Midwest. The company
will match all employee donations of $25 or more made
to the American Red Cross and other disaster relief
agencies.
Kraft Foods
Inc.
Kraft has made cash and in-kind donations totaling $500,000
to the American Red Cross for the Midwest flooding:
$385,000 in-kind and $115,000 cash.
McCormick Foundation
The
McCormick Foundation has
teamed up with WGN Radio, WGN-TV, the Chicago Cubs,
The Chicago Tribune, and CW4 Indiana to launch
Neighbors in Need 2008, a disaster relief campaign to
raise money for victims of the recent Midwest floods.
This campaign will support nonprofit agencies providing
short-term and long-term aid to flood victims in the
five impacted states. The McCormick Foundation will
match the first $1 million raised to 50 cents on the
dollar. All administrative costs will be paid by the
Foundation, allowing all funds raised and all matching
dollars to be granted directly to local organizations
helping flood victims and their families.
Those who wish
to donate may call toll-free 866-242-5006; mail a check
to Neighbors in Need 2008, McCormick Foundation, 435
N. Michigan Ave., Suite 790, Chicago, IL 60611; or make
a contribution online at www.McCormickFoundation.org/floods.
The
Moline Foundation
The Moline Foundation has made an emergency grant of
$50,000 to assist flood victims in Iowa and Illinois.
The funds will be given to the American Red Cross of
the Quad Cities to help in regional flood relief throughout
Iowa and Illinois counties bordering the Mississippi
River.
The
Siragusa Foundation
The Siragusa Foundation has made a $10,000 grant to
the McCormick Foundation for its Neighbors in Need 2008
campaign.
UBS
In response to flooding in the Midwest, UBS will make
a $50,000 donation to the American Red Cross and a $50,000
donation to the McCormick Foundation's Neighbors in
Need 2008, which will provide both short-term and long-term
aid to victims in the area.
UBS will also set up a special matching
gift program targeted specifically for flood relief
efforts. The firm also plans to organize volunteers
for massive clean up efforts in affected regions.
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Midwest
Flood Relief Resource Center