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

September 11, 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

, 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 Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countri ...

, were not included in the fund, nor were those who would not surrender the right to hold the airlines legally responsible.

American Red Cross

From the donations to the Emergency Relief Fund, as of 19 November 2001, the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the des ...

granted 3,165 checks to 2,776 families totaling $54.3 million. 172,612 cases were referred to mental health contacts. The 866-GET INFO number received 29,820 calls. As of 3:10 p.m. November 20, 2001, there had been 1,592,295 blood donations since September 11. ''Fire Donations'' took charitable contributions on behalf of firefighters, EMS, and rescue workers.

Other charitable drives

* In the Washington, D.C. area ( Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area), ''Giant Food'' offered to match contributions made in-store up to $1 million. * For the families of the 79 employees of the Windows of the World Restaurant: Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund, c/o David Berdon & Company, 415 Madison Avenue,

New York, NY New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

10017. *

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

re-released singer

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...

's recording of " The Star Spangled Banner" as a

charity single A charity record or charity single is a song released by musicians with most or all proceeds raised going to a dedicated foundation or charity. George Harrison's "Bangla Desh" single in 1971 is commonly acknowledged as the first ever purpose-made ...

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, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the w ...

also recorded a charity single, "

Never Too Far/Hero Medley "Never Too Far/Hero Medley" is a medley recorded by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey, first released as a charity single on December 11, 2001, through Virgin Records America and is included in the Japanese release of Carey's second co ...

", released on the

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a world ...

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 is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage producti ...

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 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 or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

area, and dropped off at the

Javits Convention Center The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, commonly known as the Javits Center, is a large convention center on Eleventh Avenue between 34th Street and 38th Street in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by architect James I ...

or at a

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

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