HURRICANE HARVEY RELIEF FUND

ABOUT THE FUND

The Fund, set up by Houston’s Mayor Turner and Harris County Judge Emmett, is focused on immediate, medium, and long-term relief efforts in Harris County and Houston. The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund is one of many vital philanthropic funds that, in conjunction with Federal and State efforts, are designed to support the relief and reconstruction efforts.

A fund advisory committee was established to ensure that there is a process to determine unmet needs in these areas. Tony Chase, Chairman & CEO of Chase Source, and Bill Jackson, Harris County Budget Officer, co-chair the advisory committee of 10 members. The Greater Houston Community Foundation oversees and administers the grant distribution process.

Greater Houston Community Foundation has been proud to support and administer disaster philanthropy when our region has needed it the most. We administered the Bush Clinton Katrina Fund, The Hurricane Ike Recovery Fund, as well as the Storm Relief Fund of 2016.

The Fund raised $114 million from over 126,000 donors, and distributed over $113.6 million to date to 126 nonprofit organizations providing disaster relief efforts in Houston and Harris County.

In August 2018, HHRF released the results of a third-party evaluation conducted by FSG; this evaluation noted the highlights of the Fund’s work and provided recommendations for a similar effort in the event of a future disaster.

DISTRIBUTION & GRANTS

The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund conducted five rounds of funding. Throughout, the Fund took a regional approach to ensure coverage across the city and county and held convenings by region, according to the applicant targeted zip codes. An estimated 183,000 households will be served through the Fund with individuals and households receiving services that include but are not limited to:

• Basic needs
• Behavioral health
• Disaster Case Management
• Educational Services
• Financial Assistance
• Furniture, Furnishings & Appliances
• Homelessness Prevention
• Housing Needs & Home Repair
• Legal Services
• Transportation

Because of the immense need in and around Houston, this Fund is dedicated to filling the gaps that are not met by other local and federal efforts. This is simply one of the many critical philanthropic efforts across Houston and Texas that will support those in affected areas, whose lives have forever been impacted by this disaster.

COMMUNITY COMMITMENT

GHCF is committed to our community and will administer the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund without charging any fees so that 100% of donations go to immediate and long-term relief efforts. We will gain support from other philanthropic partners and donors for the crucial management and grants administration we will be performing. The Greater Houston Community Foundation will share information about all grants publicly on its website and through other communications for complete transparency about the expenditure of funds.

ADVISORY BOARD

City Members:
Co – Chair: Tony Chase
Dr. Ruth Lopez Turley
Basil Abul-Hamayel
Winell Herron
Nataly Marks
Ken Valach

Harris County Members:
Co – Chair: William Jackson
Mike Ballases
William Taylor
Hattie Miranda
Janiece M. Longoria
George W. Strake, III

GRANTS COMMITTEE

Co-Chair: Jim Nutter, Budget Management Department, Harris County
Co-Chair: Y. Ping Sun, Rice University and Yetter Coleman LLP

Jo Carcedo, Episcopal Health Foundation
Tonyel Edwards, Houston Endowment
Meghna Goswami, Houston Endowment
Guy Hagstette, Kinder Foundation
Ashley Hanna, Laura & John Arnold Action Now Initiative
Sarah Joseph, Houston Rockets
Kelli King-Jackson, The Simmons Foundation
Elizabeth Love, Houston Endowment
Stephen Maislin, Greater Houston Community Foundation
Celene Meyer, Episcopal Health Foundation
Jennifer Nelsen, Laura & John Arnold Foundation

CONTACT

If you are an individual seeking assistance after Hurricane Harvey, please contact 2-1-1 to be connected with disaster assistance programs.

If you are in need of home repair services you can review your eligibility for applying and participating in the Harvey Home Connect program here.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Rachel Young, Marketing & Brand Manager
ryoung@ghcf.org

UPDATES

Please refer to the News & Events section of our site for frequent updates.