Conn. Report Details $28-Million in Sandy Hook Giving

Charities raising money in the wake of the December 2012 mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., collected more than $28-million from donors across the United States and around the world and have distributed some $15-million to victims and other causes, the Associated Press writes, citing a newly released state government study.

The 66-page report compiled by the Connecticut attorney general’s office and consumer-protection agency draws on voluntary survey responses from 77 groups in relation to their activities following the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, which took the lives of 20 students and six educators.

Money spent so far has been donated directly to Sandy Hook victims’ families or to projects such as a trip by Newtown teens to help with tornado recovery in Oklahoma. Some groups have set aside unspent funds for mental-health services, scholarships, and other long-term community needs. Overhead costs for most of the charities averaged less than 3 percent, according to the report.