According to the Council on Foundations, private foundations, corporations, and public charities can have great flexibility in their response to a "qualified disaster", which is defined as: a disaster that results from

• a terrorist or military action
• a presidentially declared disaster
• a disaster resulting from an accident involving a common carrier
• a disaster caused by any other event determined by the secretary of the treasury to be of a catastrophic nature

Organizations that want to make grants for disaster relief should consult legal counsel to review their particular approach. However, selected Web sites below provide general information about disaster grantmaking.

Podcast Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation Four Years After Katrina Listen as the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation discusses its work aimed at recovery, response, and community development in Louisiana on the fourth anniversary of Katrina. Watch now »

Podcast Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation's Work in Post-Katrina Mississippi A representative of the Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation discusses the foundation's response to Hurricane Katrina in the days immediately following the storm. Watch now »

To learn more about this topic, selected resources below may also be helpful.