Majority of Funds Raised After September 11 Have Been Distributed

Two years after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon,

the major charities involved in helping victims have distributed 80 percent of the $2.4-billion they raised, a Chronicle survey of 28 of the nonprofit groups has found.

Most of the unspent money is in the accounts of charities set up to deal with long-term needs like paying for the college education of victims’ children or providing mental-health care.

Despite public controversy over how some charities handled donations in the months immediately following the attacks, government regulators and independent watchdog groups now say they are satisfied with the way the money has been used.

“Over all, it’s been a job well done,” said Ronna D. Brown, president of the Education and Research Foundation of the Better Business Bureau serving Metropolitan New York, which released its own report in July on charities involved in helping victims of the attacks.

Brad Maione, a spokesman for New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, said, “We haven’t received very many complaints.”

He said that Mr. Spitzer “was very heartened by the fact that there wasn’t more fraud and abuse. Most of the fraud that occurred was at a very low level, committed by a few individuals pretending to be relatives of victims.”

Mr. Maione added that the attorney general’s office has uncovered no serious problems in the way charities handled the September 11 money.

Red Cross Raised $1.1-Billion

The charity that received by far the biggest share of donations was the American Red Cross, which took in nearly $1.1-billion.

About 80 percent of that was spent to provide immediate relief to victims and their families, help recovery workers, and aid people who suffered immediate economic losses due to the attacks. In addition, $215-million has been earmarked for long-term services, including mental-health treatment, health insurance, and grants to organizations that are helping victims and their families.

The New York Community Trust and United Way of New York City took in the second largest amount of contributions, having received $526-million for their September 11th Fund, of which the fund has spent 84 percent thus far.

Most of the $444-million distributed went to cash assistance for victims and families, along with support for other organizations that provided services such as grief counseling and job training.

Two other of the largest charities have spent all or nearly all of the money they raised.

The Twin Towers Fund has distributed all of the $215-million it received, assisting families of firefighters, police officers, and other rescue workers.

The International Association of Fire Fighters has distributed $155-million of the $157-million it raised, all of it going to the families of firefighters who were killed during the rescue efforts.