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| Photo by Noah Kunin; hosted on Flickr user Aaron Landry’s photostream. |
One year ago, after the 35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis fell, we all saw an enormous outpouring of support. The Minnesota Helps Fund received more than $1.2 million in donations from funders and individuals, and grantmakers contributed to that fund as well as other local relief agencies. Later that month, funders again responded after southern Minnesota was hit by floods.
When disaster strikes, philanthropy has a valuable role in both emergency and long-range relief efforts. But the philanthropic sector is, of course, not alone in responding — it requires the entire fabric of community and government systems.
MCF will hold a Funders’ Response To Disaster: Lessons Learned program for grantmakers on Sept. 16. Karen Kelley-Ariwoola of The Minneapolis Foundation and the Minnesota Helps Fund will be a panelist describing how funders are supporting disaster preparedness in innovative ways. She will be joined by Karen Erlenbusch of the United Way of Olmsted County, which is continuing to assist flood recovery, in discussing how philanthropy can be a stronger partner in ensuring that the needs of all are met when disasters occur.
Posted by MCF Webmaster 
