One America Appeal Hurricane Campaign Raises $41.3 Million, Closes

After raising more than $41 million for hurricane relief efforts in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the One America Appeal has announced that it has stopped accepting donations.

Led by former presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, the campaign received contributions totaling $41.3 million from more than a hundred and ten thousand donors in support of relief efforts in the affected states and U.S. territories, including significant gifts from Merck, the Hamon Charitable Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, the Pfizer Foundation, the Born This Way Foundation, the NFL Foundation, and the PGA TOUR.

From the outset, a special restricted account was established through the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation to ensure that 100 cents of every dollar went directly to assist hurricane victims. Donations have been distributed to the Houston Harvey Relief Fund, the Rebuild Texas Fund, the Florida Disaster Fund, Unidos Por Puerto Rico, and the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands.

"On behalf of the former presidents, we want to thank each of the roughly 110,500 donors who so selflessly answered the call to help our fellow Americans in need due to the devastating 2017 hurricane season," said David Jones, CEO of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation. "Together, we have worked very hard to get this money where it is needed quickly, and the feedback we have received from the relief organizations with whom we have partnered indicate this special appeal has indeed made an important difference."