U.S. Army soldiers help the crew of a U.S. Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) unload food and supplies at the airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, donations to support disaster relief work to Haiti currently exceed $275 million. A poignant and unwelcome reminder of how badly this support is needed came with reports this morning of an aftershock in Port-au-Prince measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale. Minnesotans have a long history of offering aid in times of need to people both at home and across the globe, and the current crisis is no exception.
To help individuals, grantmakers and the members of the media keep track of donations made to support the people of Haiti, MCF has created a special Minnesota Responds webpage to track how Minnesota grantmakers are responding.
According to the information that we’ve collected so far, over $2.3 million has been promised in direct donations to relief agencies by Minnesota corporate grantmakers and foundations. An additional $2.1 million has been pledged for matching employee contributions, and over $1.5 million worth of goods have been ear marked for the relief effort.
If you’re a grantmaker in the state of Minnesota, regardless of whether or not you’re a member, MCF invites you to keep us up to date on how you’re responding to aid the people of Haiti. You can keep us informed using this online form.
