A new study released by the Foundation Center suggests that, in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a number of grantmakers adopted a long-term approach to recovery, making grants over two to three years.

Immediately after the attacks, the Foundation Center set out to record and tell the story of the philanthropic sector's response to the tragic events of that day. That initiative has come to fruition with September 11: The Philanthropic Response, the final publication in the Center's series of 9/11 reports, essays, and interviews issued over the past three years.

At the heart of the volume is "Giving in the Aftermath of September 11: Final Update on the Foundation and Corporate Response," a comprehensive overview of the more than $1.1 billion in grants reported by 1,339 foundations and corporations, including nearly $8 million awarded in 2003 alone for long-term needs and emerging social issues. The volume also includes a complete list of the funders and more than 4,542 gifts for 9/11-related causes, as well as indexes to grant recipients and subjects; a timeline of events tracking the philanthropic, public-sector, and media response to the attacks; and a compilation of reports prepared for the Ford Foundation presenting a thorough account of relief and recovery activities in New York City.

"Despite the precarious economy during this period, the response of grantmakers to America's greatest tragedy since Pearl Harbor has set a historic milestone for the field and has encouraged donors to be even more philanthropic going forward," said Loren Renz, vice president for research at the Foundation Center.

Although the Center's 9/11 initiative has come to a close, its research reports, funding database, and archive of interviews will remain available at http://fdncenter.org/research/911, where single copies of September 11: The Philanthropic Response (278 pages, PDF) may be requested or downloaded at no charge.