Overview
Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida on September 10, 2017, as a Category 3 storm after leaving a trail of destruction through the Caribbean, including significant devastation throughout the Leeward, U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Haiti.
Grantmaking Timeline
We have raised just over $1.4 million for this Fund. Some donors restricted their gift to Florida sites; others restricted contributions to Caribbean sites.
July 2018 – Begin fund distribution
Grant Committee
The grant committee for the CDP Hurricane Irma Recovery Fund includes:
Committee Chair: Lori J. Bertman, President and CEO of the Baton Rouge- based Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation. Lori is the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of CDP.
Michael Corley, Senior Consultant, Administration, The Patterson Foundation
Robert “Bob” McFalls, President and CEO, Florida Philanthropic Network
Jacqueline Patterson, Director, NAACP Environment and Climate Justice Program
John Slocum, Independent Consultant and Associate Senior Researcher CIDOB, Barcelona Center for International Affairs
Bob Ottenhoff, President and CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy
Grantees
New grantees will be posted as additional grant funds are awarded.
Centro Campesino received $150,000 for the pilot development of a housing collaborative in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Additional funding is being sought by the grantee through Enterprise Community Partners and NeighborWorks America. Centro Campesino was also awarded a second grant for $200,000 to support home repairs for minority and vulnerable populations in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties who are still in need following Hurricane Irma.
Citrus County Long-Term Recovery Group received $150,000 through their fiscal agent, Daystar Life Center, a Catholic Charities affiliate, to hire one part-time staff person to handle grant administration and construction costs to conduct home repairs. For this grant, CDP partnered with Volunteer Florida who will contribute an additional $100,000.
Florida Housing Coalition (FHC) was awarded $36,000 for staff and system costs associated with conducting weekly update calls during the next year on long-term housing needs in Florida, with special attention to Hurricane Irma demands. For this grant, CDP partnered with Fannie Mae who will contribute an additional $10,000.
During the second round of grants from the CDP Hurricane Irma Recovery Fund, FHC received an additional $100,000, in continuation of grant work from Wells Fargo Foundation and National Low-Income Housing Coalition that allowed FHC to evaluate the availability of housing recovery resources and to build a strategic framework for housing providers to escalate the development of affordable housing in Central Florida.
Florida Keys Community Land Trust was awarded $125,000, to preserve and enhance the way of life for the workforce of Monroe County, Florida. Funding from CDP will focus on rebuilding affordable and efficient houses that will meet and exceed all wind and flood codes.
The Heart of Florida United Way received $250,000 to support the rapid rehousing needs of evacuees from the Caribbean in central Florida. This grant recommendation is the outcome of a New Floridians Action Plan, led by the Florida Housing Coalition. Rapid rehousing, implemented here, was the first action item in the plan.
Miami Beach Community Development Corporation was awarded $75,000, to secure long-term assistance to older adults, formerly homeless, and HIV/AIDS positive groups. This grant seeks to save about 400 affordable housing units in the Miami Beach area.
Monroe County Long-Term Recovery Group (LTRG) received $50,000 for staff capacity. Securing staff for long-term case management work, including a large focus on housing, is critical to recovery in the Florida Keys. Other funders to this grantee include the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys, Volunteer Florida, United Way of the Florida Keys, The Miami Foundation and the Miami Dolphins Foundation.
During the second round of grants from the CDP Hurricane Irma Recovery Fund, LTRG received an additional $49,917 to provide support to volunteers working on repairs and reconstruction to homes damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Irma.
The NAACP received a $10,000 grant. They used the funds to train and certify representatives from 25 branches of the NAACP Florida State Conference as Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members. The CERT program trains volunteers to prepare for, respond to and recover from the types of disasters that their communities may face. The NAACP CERT members will serve as stewards of civil and human rights, and help support their communities before, during and after disasters.
Redlands Christian Migrant Association (Immokalee Unmet Needs Coalition) was awarded $245,000. Serving as the fiscal agent, Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA) will work with Immokalee Unmet Needs Coalition and Mennonite Disaster Services to provide housing replacement for four-six families whose homes were destroyed or substantially damaged by Hurricane Irma.
St. Croix Foundation for Community Development received $50,000 to support their Community Solar Project in partnership with the Virgin Islands Workforce Investment Board, Sustainable Systems International and Lion’s Den Solar. The project will train 40 individuals in the community on fiber optics and solar installation through the National Center for Construction Education and Research.
Take Action
We’re grateful for all the generous donors to the CDP Hurricane Irma Recovery Fund in support of recovery work currently underway. Though this fund is now closed, please consider supporting our efforts to transform disaster giving. We will use your donations where they are needed most. Explore additional ways to support CDP here.
For more information or for additional assistance, please contact:
Regine A. Webster
Vice President
(206) 972-0187
regine.webster@disasterphilanthropy.org