Should you donate to Tunnel to Towers Foundation?

by Good Medical January 13, 2022

Should you donate to Tunnel to Towers Foundation? Learn more about the organization below.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is a nonprofit organization that honors the memory and legacy of Firefighter Stephen Siller who gave up his life to save others on September 11, 2001. Siller had just finished his shift at Brooklyn’s Squad 1 when he heard about a plane hitting the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

Instead of meeting his brothers for golf, he returned to Squad 1 to pick up his gear. He strapped his 60-pound gear on his back and raced on foot through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to save others in the Twin Towers. He gave up his life that day and left behind siblings, his wife Sally, five children, extended family, and friends.

Stephen lived by the inspirational saying, “while we have time, let us do good.”

The Cause & Mission of Tunnel to Towers Foundation

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation honors first responders and military veterans who continue to sacrifice their lives for our country. The mission is to keep these heroes in the hearts and minds of everyone by creating programs to help those in need. To date, the foundation has impacted the community with $250+ million committed to programs, more than 500,000 visitors to the 9/11 mobile exhibit, with 95% of donations going directly to established programs.

The Smart Home Program

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is dedicated to building smart homes for catastrophically injured first responders and veterans. Each smart home is specifically designed to meet the needs of the individual and encourage independence.

Recipients of a smart home have catastrophic injuries, including blindness, multiple amputations, paraplegia, quadriplegia, traumatic brain injury, and severe burns. These heroes are in need of a home that provides them the ultimate level of mobility and comfort to live and raise their families.

Common features in the newly built smart homes include wide doorways and halls to accommodate wheelchairs, automated lighting, automated doors, wheelchair-accessible showers, backup generators, central air conditioning, and heating, plus lowered or raised stove tops, counters, and cabinets.

The Tunnel of Towers Foundation is funded by donations as well as all the other programs.

How to Donate

When donating to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, you can choose to make a one-time donation or monthly donations. Donations are accepted in the following ways:

On the website www.t2t.org Mail it to Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10306 (use the printable donation form found on the website)
Fax to 718.987.3909 (use the printable donation form found on the website)
Direct withdrawals from your bank account (use the printable bank transfer form on the website)
Planned Giving allows you to make donations directly from your IRA or you can gift stocks to the foundation.
In Memoriam allows you to honor a loved one’s memory by requesting donations to the foundation instead of sending flowers to the funeral service.

Stats to Date for 2020

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has been committed to program integrity, organizational efficiency, and sound fiscal management. The foundation works hard to keep the administrative costs low and only uses a small amount of funds for overhead expenses. The Foundation uses 95% of donations for services and programs.

The Foundation continues to earn four stars from the nation's evaluator of charities, Charity Navigator. It also has earned an A+ grade from Charity Watch, an independent assertive watchdog for charities.

95% of Fundraising Dollars	Directly to Foundation Programs
3% of Fundraising Dollars	Fundraising Efforts
2% of Fundraising Dollars	Management and General
$79,339,700	Total Liabilities and Net Assets for 2020
Visit https://t2t.org/financials/	For a breakdown of financials for2020
Visit https://t2t.org/financials/	For Audited Financial Statements for 2020

Interesting Facts You Need to Know About Tunnel to Towers

The Foundation pays off mortgages for injured military and first responders. Recently they paid off the mortgage for the family of a U.S. Marshal killed in the line of duty along with three other mortgages for other fallen heroes.
The Foundations Operation Homebase helps homeless veterans by providing a dignified and safe home to help them reclaim their life. The foundation provides tiny homes to homeless veterans in all 50 states.
The 9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit has traveled to almost all 50 states and Canada and welcomed more than 500,000 individuals. The mobile exhibit features documentary videos, steel beams from the towers, first responder radio transmissions, recordings, interactive guided tours, and a tribute to all those who lost their lives during the September 11, 2001 attack.
The Foundation also holds events during the year such as the Tower Climb in New York City, BBQ for Our Bravest, Tunnel to Towers National Golf Series, Footsteps to the Future Gala, the TCS New York City Marathon, and upcoming 2022 United Airlines NYC Half.

Is a donation to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation tax-deductible?

Yes. Your donation is tax-deductible. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation offers transparency to everything they do and their financials. You can feel confident your donation is being used to make improvements in the injured military and first responder's lives.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation impacts the lives of others due to your generosity. Currently, there are 450 mortgage-free homes delivered or in progress for our heroes. The Foundation also has more than 70 events per year to encourage those to participate and give back to the community in various ways. You can sign up for updates, news, and events at https://t2t.org/.

Learn more about how you can make an impact in our heroes and their families lives at https://t2t.org/our-impact/ today!