A majority of the money may be slated for distribution, but questions remain on the more than $11 million handled by the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation -- at least for Connecticut's U.S. Senate delegation.
Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy have sent a letter calling for an independent audit to determine how to divide the funds "based on donor intent," according to the Associated Press. The news comes on the heels of the foundation's release of a timetable of distribution for a chunk of the money set aside for those directly affected by the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
The foundation plans to allot $7.3 million, or about 95%, of funds to families of those lost in the shooting. Two victims who sustained physical injuries would be eligible for $75,000, with families of children who were in the classrooms and survived eligible for $20,000 each.
Blumenthal and Murphy are concerned that the foundation's committee did not reach their determinations through a "verifiable, comprehensive analysis of contributions," according to the AP.
The NSHCF's distribution committee -- retired federal judge Alan Nevas and Newtown residents Dr. John Woodall and Joe Smialowski -- met at a July 11 forum to hear public input on the distribution. The foundation sprang out of the United Way-led Sandy Hook fund established in the days after the shooting.
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