Hilton Foundation Awards $600,000 In Grants To Assist Hurricane Sandy Recovery

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation has awarded $600,000 to help people affected by Hurricane Sandy in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.  This latest grant reaffirms the Foundation's commitment to supporting long-term recovery work and encouraging other funders to give strategically in the aftermath of disasters.

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From October 25 to October 29, 2012 Hurricane Sandy impacted a region stretching from the Caribbean to the Northeastern United States, becoming the largest Atlantic hurricane on record. The economic losses resulting from the damages left in Sandy's wake are estimated at $66 billion, making it the second-costliest Atlantic hurricane after Hurricane Katrina.  Hurricane Sandy caused the deaths of 253 people, 97 of whom were in the tri-state area.

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was moved by the suffering of hurricane victims and the organization's long-standing commitment to supporting disaster relief, recovery and preparedness efforts. Based on the Foundation's own research, about two months after a disaster strikes is usually when the initial rush of donations drops off and the media turns to other matters, leaving longer-term recovery needs forgotten or underfunded. The Hilton Foundation is committed to intervening at this critical, yet overlooked phase of the recovery process. 

Of the $600,000, the Hilton Foundation provided $500,000 to Enterprise Community Partners to help address the housing-related needs of people affected by the storm, and Project Hospitality received $100,000 to assist chronically homeless people in the area.

"The kind of damage done by Hurricane Sandy has ripple effects for years, particularly affecting the poorest and most vulnerable people in our society," said Steven M. Hilton, Chairman, President & CEO of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.  "While we applaud Tuesday's passage of $50.7 billion in government relief aid, private funds are still needed. The philanthropic sector has the flexibility to fund and address needs that are not covered by federal funding. A disaster of this magnitude reduces both the availability of housing and people's ability to afford it. Organizations like Enterprise Community Partners and Project Hospitality provide housing services that are often underfunded and neglected."

Enterprise Community Partners is the leading provider of financing, expertise and policy leadership for creating and preserving affordable housing for low income populations, whereas Project Hospitality provides a range of interconnected services for homeless people, including food, clothing, housing, health care and legal assistance.

For more information on the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation's disaster response efforts, visit: http://www.hiltonfoundation.org/initiatives-a-programs/disaster-relief.

About the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was created in 1944 by international business pioneer Conrad N. Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels and left his fortune to help the world's disadvantaged and vulnerable people. The Foundation currently conducts strategic initiatives in six priority areas: providing safe water, ending chronic homelessness, preventing substance abuse, helping children affected by HIV/AIDS, supporting transition-age youth in foster care, and extending Conrad Hilton's support for the work of Catholic Sisters. Following selection by an independent international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $1.5 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to a nonprofit organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. From its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $1 billion in grants, distributing $82 million in the U.S. and around the world in 2011. The Foundation's current assets are approximately $2 billion. For more information, please visit www.hiltonfoundation.org.

Contact: Marc Moorghen
(818) 851-3700
[email protected]

SOURCE Conrad N. Hilton Foundation