Hurricane Fund for the Elderly

About the Fund:

Grantmakers In Aging (GIA) launched the Hurricane Fund for the Elderly (HFE) in response to the Administration on Aging's call to assist vulnerable older adults affected by the 2005 Hurricanes. The Fund was a vehicle for directing dollars and resources to qualifying nonprofit organizations working to re-establish the older adult service system.

Two GIA members, The Atlantic Philanthropies and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, committed significant support both to administer the HFE and to place monies in the Fund itself. The aim was to ensure that 100 percent of dollars raised by the Fund went to projects that provide for the intermediate, and long-term needs of the elderly in the wake of the hurricanes.

Hurricane Fund for the Elderly: Progress Report as of 10/07

The HFE is currently supporting 22 projects in the Gulf States out of 55 applications.

$2,681,687 - raised for programmatic funding (including $713,264 in match funding)
$2,193,822  - leveraged by grantees through matching and in-kind contributions (It is anticipated that this number will increase as final leveraging figures are submitted with final reports.)

$4,875,509 - total funds raised for older adult services in the Gulf States

Funding Partners include (alphabetical order)

AARP Foundation
The Atlantic Philanthropies
The John A. Hartford Foundation
Los Angeles - Jewish Federation
Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation (LDRF)
Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation
New York Community Trust
The Retirement Research Foundation
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
UJA-Federation of New York
United Jewish Communities - Federation Services
"The Woods" Charitable Trust

Funding Areas                       Number of Projects                       Percentage of Funding
Disaster Preparedness                   11                                                          40% 
Health, Human Services                   7                                                           41%   
Legal Services                                    2                                                            12%   
Policy                                                    1                                                               5%
Housing                                               1                                                               2%  

Location                                 Number of Projects                        Percentage of Funding 
Louisiana                                            9                                                              51% 
Mississippi                                         7                                                               27%   
Alabama                                              6                                                               22%

GIA is monitoring the HFE projects, with final reports being submitted from our initial grants.  Five continuation grants for projects that are having a strong impact were awarded in June 2007.  A summary of final results will be compiled from the final reports received.

GIA has received verbal approval of a $20,000 grant from the AARP Foundation to sponsor a one-day conference for the grantees of the HFE and the AARP Foundation. The purpose of the conference is for grantees to network and learn about other efforts benefiting older adults in the Gulf States. It is expected that 75-100 people will attend the conference in January 2008 in New Orleans.