Washington, DC – The National Center for Victims of Crime, in close collaboration with GoFundMe, and state and local officials, has opened the National Compassion Fund Las Vegas to support those injured and killed in the horrific attack at the Route 91 Harvest festival. The National Compassion Fund was established by the National Center for Victims of Crime, with the guidance and support from families of mass shootings over the past eighteen years, as a safe and transparent way to give to victims directly. It is the only straight-to-victim fund of its kind in the country.
In response to the mass shooting, the National Compassion Fund and GoFundMe, the world’s largest social fundraising platform, are collaborating to serve victims by maximizing resources and ensuring a victim-centered, transparent distribution process. With a community of more than 40 million donors, GoFundMe is changing the way the world gives. The National Center for Victims of Crime, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and an authority on how victims are compensated for loss, will assist with the fundraising effort and coordinate the distribution of proceeds from other GoFundMe campaigns.
The National Compassion Fund, together with Equality Florida’s GoFundMe campaign and the City of Orlando distributed over $32 million to victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting. The Christina Grimmie Foundation, with a social media following of 3.5 million, also stands in support of the victims of the Las Vegas shooting along with more than 120 survivors of past mass events.
“We are devastated. Our hearts go out to all the victims, their families, and those injured in this atrocity. The National Compassion Fund is honored to join forces with GoFundMe to increase charitable giving and help meet the overwhelming needs of the victims,” said Mai Fernandez, Executive Director of the National Center for Victims of Crime.
“From all of us here at GoFundMe, I want to extend our deepest condolences to the victims of this heinous attack, their families, and the Las Vegas community,” said Rob Solomon, CEO of GoFundMe. “During this time of mourning and healing, we are proud to support the National Compassion Fund in providing direct and transparent help to victims of this shooting.”
If donors would like to make a tax-deductible donation towards GoFundMe campaigns for the victims of the horrific shooting, they can make a contribution to the Direct Impact Fund. It is an independent, registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that selects campaigns and charities for the GoFundMe community to support. When a donor supports the Direct Impact Fund via www.gofundme.com/HelpLasVegas, the funds will be distributed to charities, including the National Compassion Fund, and verified GoFundMe campaigns created to help people directly affected by the shooting.
The National Compassion Fund was founded in collaboration with parents and family members from some of the worst mass casualty events in U.S. history – September 11th , Columbine, Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University, Aurora, Oak Creek Sikh Temple and Newtown. Since then families from shootings in Tucson, Isla Vista (Santa Barbara), Alturas, CA, Roseburg, OR (Umpqua), San Bernardino and Orlando have also endorsed the Fund. Unlike other charitable funds, 100% of donations are distributed directly to the established victim base of these terrible atrocities. The Fund preserves the intent of donors who want to know that their gift is going directly to those harmed and will not be used for other purposes.
“We trust the National Compassion Fund. We know first-hand how much victims/survivors will need the financial support. If you want every penny of your donation to go directly to the victims, this is the fund to fulfill that intent,” said Anita Busch, spokesperson for the families of past mass shootings.
The National Compassion Fund is overseen and administered by the National Center for Victims of Crime and is advised by a specially constituted Expert Panel, with experience in mass crime victim compensation and the needs of crime victims. The panel also includes victim representatives from past mass casualty crimes to ensure that the voices of the victims are heard as they are integral to the distribution process. Expert panelists serve in a volunteer capacity. The fund is completely transparent and will inform the public of its deliberations in the distribution of funds.