1/29/07

Donations from Individuals the basis of Tsunami Relief

Following the second anniversary of the tsunami that spread devastation across South Asia, a new tally shows private sources in this country raised $3.16 billion in funds and goods for tsunami disaster relief.

The report from the Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University, working with University of Michigan researchers, found U.S. individuals contributed $2.78 billion of the total tsunami funding, with corporations providing $340 million and foundations $40 million through 2005.

According to the report, 25 percent of U.S. households contributed. The median tsunami donation was $50, and the average gift was $135. Households with annual incomes of less than $50,000 gave an average $104 -- not that much less than the $165 average for households with two to four times the income.

Eugene Tempel, the center's executive director, said the response by Americans to the tsunami "was by far the largest outpouring of giving for an international disaster in recent memory."

[Excerpt of an article by Charles Storch, The Chicago Tribune]

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