Charities and relief agencies raised over $657 million in the three weeks following the

September 11, 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, the vast bulk going to immediate survivors and victims' families.

Government assistance

On September 21, 2001, the Congress approved a bill to aid the airline industry and establish a federal fund for victims. The cost of the mostly open-ended fund reached $7 billion. Victims of earlier terrorist attacks, including those linked to al-Qaida, were not included in the fund, nor were those who would not surrender the right to hold the airlines legally responsible.

American Red Cross

In the aftermath of the attack, the American Red Cross' Liberty Fund amassed $547 million in donations. The charitable organization halted the collection of donations in October 2001, announcing that the monies pledged would be enough to cover immediate and longterm efforts to support the victims of the attack. While the Red Cross initially announced its intentions to put as much as $247 million of the fund toward preparedness for future terrorist attacks, the organization reversed course in the wake of extreme criticism and announced the entire fund would go toward victims. In February of 2002, the New York Times reported that the Red Cross had "distributed about $200 million to more than 30,000 displaced workers" as of the date of publication. In addition to financial donations, the American Red Cross collected nearly 1.2 million units of blood between Sept. 11 and Oct. 30, according to a New York Times article published in November of 2001.

Other charitable drives

* In the

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

area ( Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area), ''Giant Food'' offered to match contributions made in-store up to $1 million. * The Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund was created to support the families of the 79 employees of the Windows on the World restaurant. *

Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...

re-released singer

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

's recording of " The Star Spangled Banner" as a charity single following the attacks, with all profits going towards the firefighters and victims of the attacks.

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

also recorded a charity single, " Never Too Far/Hero Medley", released on the

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

label. * In Ireland, the National Fire Brigade Committee opened a disaster fund to raise money for the families of those injured or killed in the attacks. * Pop singer

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

donated $1 to the children of firefighters, police officers and EMT's who were killed on 9/11 from every ticket sold from her

Dream Within a Dream Tour The Dream Within a Dream Tour was the fourth concert tour by American singer Britney Spears. It was launched in support of her third studio album, ''Britney (album), Britney'' (2001). The tour was promoted by AEG Live, Concerts West, marking th ...

in 2001 and 2002.

Emergency supplies

On Thursday and Friday, September 14–15 September 2001, various relief supplies for the World Trade Center relief effort were collected from the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

area, and dropped off at the Javits Convention Center or at a

staging area A staging area (otherwise staging base, staging facility, staging ground, staging point, or staging post) is a location in which organisms, people, vehicles, equipment, or material are assembled before use. It may refer to: * In aviation, a desi ...

at Union Square. By Saturday morning, enough supplies (and volunteers) were collected.

Memorial funds

Many families and friends of victims have set up memorial funds and projects to give back to their communities and change the world in honor of their loved ones' lives. Examples include: * Beyond the 11th * The Peter M. Goodrich Memorial Foundation * Our Voices Together * September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows * Heroic Choices (originally the Todd M. Beamer Foundation) * Tuesday's Children

References