ABSTRACT
The philanthropic response on the part of private donors to the September 11th attacks was enormous and immediate. Major private assistance following September 11th came from private phil-anthropic foundations, corporations, and individual donors. Foundations and corporations stepped forward to make significant contributions, individual donors played a central role in the mobilization of the philanthropic response. Relief funds needed to be created in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks to allow the philanthropic impulse to be translated into concrete action. In judging the quality of a charitable response, it is important to consider the efficiency with which funds are distributed. All the charities strove to respond to needs quickly, the issue of disbursement rate was posed in a pointed way when families began to complain about the pace at which the Twin Towers Fund was assisting families of killed or injured uniformed rescue personnel.
