Colorado Healing Fund responds to criticism over donation distribution for victims

By: Jasmine Arenas, CBS News Colorado reporter 

The Colorado Healing Fund is facing some serious criticism after a press conference on Sunday in Colorado Springs where victims of mass shootings across the nation expressed their concerns on how donation funds are distributed.

Amy Cook, a survivor of the 2012 Aurora theater shooting believes organizations are not being fair in the way funds are distributed to victim

"What continues to happen here in Colorado is revictimizing to mass shooting victims," Cook said.

Cook believes they're feeling invalidated.

"The healing fund collects your donations for victims and their families, but then they take a percentage for themselves, hand out a portion for the victims and then grant the rest to other local nonprofits or programs," Cook said.

Frank DeAngelis, the former Columbine High School principal, who now serves on the board of the Colorado Healing Fund, says he knows the pain mass shooting events like these bring to communities and his mission is to help.

"People that serve on this board had dealings with the Aurora theater shooting, after Columbine of course and other events so we try to put our best thinking together in dealing with uh people that are going through mass events on how we can help them," DeAngelis said.

He says the funds the foundation collect are strictly to help those victims, though the checks aren't directly cut to the families. 

"We do not distribute the money directly to the victims of the families who lost loved ones or injured, but one of the things we do is work with various organizations that are working with the victims and the injured." DeAngelis added.

The Colorado Healing Fund says it's working with organizations, that help with things like covering rent, travel, international visas, and other needs, including providing cash disbursements.

"People say well it is supposed to go directly to the victims but we state on there not are we only helping the victims and families of the victims but the injured we are also helping community needs so when people decide if they are going to pledge or donate they are reading that information exactly of what we're doing," DeAngelis said.

When it comes to addressing comments from the public that express the organization is taking a percentage for themselves and their staff, DeAngelis clarifies the only paid staff on the foundation's team is the executive director, Jordan Finegan.

"All of us that are on the executive board, the executive committee we are volunteering our time, we have an advisory board that is all volunteer," DeAngelis said.

The healing fund has given out close to $250,000 following the Club Q shooting. $50,000 for victims' families and almost $200,000 for those injured.

The foundation also plans to give money to more organizations moving forward. 

CBS News Colorado asked DeAngelis if the foundation is willing to change how they distribute funds, saying the method is up for discussion.

In a statement, the Colorado Healing Fund said:

"We understand the concerns and questions that arise out of a tragedy and the need the community has for information. We are committed to continuing to provide information in a timely manner, while also fulfilling our core function of working with victim assistance teams to help support victims of this tragedy with their immediate needs. The Board of Trustees is planning to authorize the release of additional funds this week to cover more immediate needs of those impacted. Last week it authorized $245,000.00 in disbursement. Our primary focus during a response is the families, but we are also supporting the needs of the additional people and community that were immediately impacted by this tragedy."

"We were created to fill gaps, and a large part of our work is identifying resources through other programs for victims, so we can stretch donations as far as possible and support as many people as possible in a meaningful way. We are working to coordinate so that every dollar raised can have the greatest impact for the people who have experienced this tragedy."

The fund told CBS News Colorado the foundation did take a percentage in the past for administration fees while another percentage goes to nonprofits, but DeAngelis says otherwise. 

"That 10% of the money pledged goes for administrative fees and we are addressing that right now as a board," DeAngelis said.