LI charities to get '12-12-12' concert funds
L.I. native Billy Joel is among the many performers on the 12-12-12 concert bill. Credit: AP
The Robin Hood Foundation, preparing to handle millions of dollars in new donations after Wednesday's star-studded "12-12-12: A Concert for Sandy Relief" benefit, has expanded, awarding grants to Long Island charities for the first time.
The foundation Monday announced nearly $1 million in grants to Family Service League, FEGS Health and Human Services System, Island Harvest, Make the Road, New York Legal Assistance Group and Interfaith Nutritional Network.
Deborah Winshel, president and chief operating officer of the Robin Hood Foundation, originally established to fight poverty in New York City, said the group has dispatched program officers across Long Island to get a sense of the area and its post-Sandy needs. "Robin Hood relies on a high level of due diligence," she said. "We're putting a lot of boots on the ground to get the money out quickly."
The foundation has pledged that 60 percent of the money raised for superstorm Sandy victims, including funds raised by the "12-12-12" concert featuring Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and other A-list acts, will go to charities in New York City, Long Island and Connecticut, while the other 40 percent would go to charities in New Jersey. The benefit Wednesday at Madison Square Garden has already raised $30 million in ticket sales and sponsorships, and is expected to raise millions more in donations from the broadcast, which will be available to more than 2 billion people worldwide.
