(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Since the Club Q tragedy, the Colorado Healing Fund (CHF), a nonprofit designed to support victims of mass casualties, has been under scrutiny.
“One of the concerns we have heard from the community is about our admin fees,” said Jordan Finegan, executive director of CHF.
Currently, the Colorado Healing Fund takes ten percent from donations received to use for operational costs.
“We are not a government organization,” Cynthia Coffman said. “We don’t receive any other federal or state funding.”
Because of that, Finegan said they operate on a lean budget.
“Our budget is about 130-thousand dollars a year,” she said. “So, that is basically salary for one staff person — our annual audit… that we go through… and other miscellaneous things a nonprofit can account for.”
The community also asked questions about why the money doesn’t go directly to the victims, but instead puts money in the hands of victim advocates who then distribute the money to those impacted.
“We’re determining individual’s needs through the victim advocates,” said Steven Siegel, volunteer board member of CHF. “And those victim advocates are from their community.”
Now, CHF said they are working with victim advocates on where the money is needed most.
“So far, there have been 220-thousand dollars in direct cash disbursements to the 24 individuals who were injured and the five families,” Finegan said.
Additionally, she said 150-thousand dollars have gone to immediate needs.
“And that has covered car payments, some funeral costs in addition outside of what victim compensation can cover. It will be covering rent, wages lost, utilities and more.”
CHF said they do not like to disclose the specifics in an effort to protect victim confidentiality.
CHF also remains the state-approved method of donating to support the victims’ families and survivors and so far they have collected $1.8 million.