Community Development

Ford Foundation Gives $10 Million for New York Disaster Relief

The Ford Foundation today announced a commitment of $10 million for disaster relief after Tuesday's terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The money will help families of individual victims and assist nonprofit organizations whose operations were disrupted by the violence.

"We have been overwhelmed by these events -- the images of destruction and death, the sense of vulnerability," said Susan V. Berresford, the foundation's president. "We have also seen stunning examples of heroism, service and endurance. Our foundation has made its home in New York City for more than 50 years. This is our immediate community, and we want to help. We expect to work closely with the New York Community Trust, the United Way and others that will ensure that our funds are distributed in the most effective way."

Referring to the money designated for nonprofit groups, she said, "much of the richness of life in this city has to do with the wide range of nonprofit organizations that serve in so many ways -- helping the poor, improving education, promoting civil and human rights, supporting the arts." A number of nonprofits, headquartered in lower Manhattan, were seriously affected by the attack.

The Ford Foundation distributes more than $600 million annually to organizations around the world. Its goals are to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation and advance human achievement.

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The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For more than half a century it has worked with courageous people on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.