Politics & Government

Attorney General: Sandy Hook Fund Honored Donor Intent

This article was written by Davis Dunavin. 

In a letter to Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation and United Way officials, Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen said the foundation "did not act against donor intent" when it set up structures for distributing millions in funds to families of victims of the Dec. 14 shooting.

At the same time, Jepsen raised concerns about the lack of transparency about processes and procedures the foundation would use in their decision-making.

"Much of that information, including the bylaws for the Foundation that provide the procedures for decision-making and distribution, as well as for selection of directors, was not made public until I began the initial review of the Fund in early May and discussed the need for greater transparency with the Fiduciaries," Jepsen wrote. "I believe that lack of transparency ... has facilitated the misunderstandings about and inaccurate public information related to the Fund."

Originating from a joint project between the United Way and Newtown Savings Bank, the foundation and its affiliates have raised more than $11 million from donors across the world since the shooting. In July, they revealed plans to distribute $7.7 million to the families of those most affected in the tragedy.

In July, Blumenthal and Murphy called for increased scrutiny of the fund, saying they were concerned organizers did not provide "verifiable, comprehensive analysis of contributions." Some family members of victims have also spoken critically against the allocation process.

In a statement released Wednesday, United Way of Western Connecticut CEO Kim Morgan said she was "pleased" with the findings and hoped they would assuage concerns raised by Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy.

"We now consider this issue to be resolved," Morgan said. "Without further delay, it is time for the Sandy Hook Community Foundation to proceed with their work of determining how best to allocate the remainder of the donated funds to help heal the Newtown community."

For the Attorney General's full letter, see the attached PDF document.


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