Recent News:
On April 20, 2010, a semi-submersible
exploratory offshore drilling rig run by BP in the Gulf
of Mexico exploded after a blowout and sank two days later, causing 11
crew deaths and a massive oil leak threatening the coasts of Louisiana,
Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Between 35,000 and 60,000 thousand barrels of
crude oil gushed into the Gulf daily, threatening the lives,
health, economy and environment of the entire region.
A new cap was installed and as of July 15, the well is no longer leaking oil. Scientists will continue to monitor pressure to ensure that oil is not seeping through underground pipes. If the cap continues to hold, containment ships will begin collecting oil through valves in the cap, reports the Los Angeles Times.
The disaster unfolding in the Gulf Coast is one of the
most significant threats to the environment the country has faced in its history. Oil has made landfall among highly
sensitive fisheries and coastal ecosystems that are still recovering
from the 2005 hurricane season. It has the potential to devastate
fragile coastal communities and ecosystems beyond repair.
Resources:
Environmental
Grantmakers Association (EGA) Project Matrix
EGA has developed a regularly updated matrix of over 50
collaborations, grantees and projects focused on the oil spill and that have been recommended by foundations.
Environmental Grantmakers Association Webinar
Visit
blog.ega.org
and register to access a recording of EGA's recent webinar addressing
how funder groups are
coordinating their efforts to aid to the Gulf Coast region.
Organizations Mobilizing in the Gulf:
Many charities are responding to the crisis. Some need volunteers,
many are accepting donations and others are asking their supporters to write
to elected officials to advocate for legislation to protect the
environment.
The following organizations are accepting donations and/or mobilizing directly on the Gulf Coast:
General Guides for Disaster Grantmaking
Best
Practices in Disaster Grantmaking: Lessons from the Gulf Coast
(pdf)
This report from Philanthropy New York notes that 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.
Disaster Assistance and Recovery: Long-term Recovery Issues and Case Studies (pdf)
This report by the Business Civic Leadership Center is a compilation of noteworthy revitalization activities and
lessons learned by companies and their community
partners about long-term disaster recovery in the Gulf region.
Grantcraft's
Grants
to Individuals: Investing in People and their Communities (pdf)
According to this Grantcraft
publication, there's
a counter-intuitive need in an emergency--when everyone is in need--to take
time, slow down 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, outlines 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.
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.
SCG Members' Response:
Through its Gulf Coast Fund, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors has distributed $200,000 to 32 nonprofit organizations as of June 1st, and continues to make emergency grants on a bi-weekly basis.