Nearly €1 billion has already poured in from around the world to restore Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris after a massive fire. French Presidential cultural heritage envoy Stephane Bern told broadcaster France-Info that 880 million euros has been raised so far and are expected to continue to increase.
The cathedral was undergoing expensive renovations on the church’s spire when the massive fire engulfed it.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is considering convening in the coming weeks a conference of international donors to raise the money needed for the restoration, she said on Twitter. Germany stands ready to help “in the closest friendship,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Twitter. “We are united in mourning,” he added.
These are the key donations so far:
The Pinault family, one of the richest French families owners of the Kering luxury goods company: €100 million
The Arnault family, owners of the LVMH luxury goods group : €200 million
The French energy company Total: €100 million
L’Oréal, the French luxury and cosmetics group, along with the Bettencourt Meyer family and the Bettencourt Schueller foundation: €200 million
European Central Bank: €9 million
The Ile-de-France region, which comprises the greater Paris region: €10 million
Societe Generale bank: €10 million
Martin Bouygues and Olivier Bouygues, the brothers who run construction and telecom company Bouygues SA: €10 million
Technology consulting firm Capgemini SE: €1 million
Dozens of fundraisers are cropping up to help pay for the laborious effort to repair France’s beloved Notre Dame cathedral.
These are the main fundraisers helping to the reconstruction of Notre Dame:
Friends of Notre Dame
Friends of Notre Dame is a public charity established by the Archbishop of Paris and the Diocese of Paris to fund the structure’s regular maintenance, repairs and renovation. An overwhelming number of visitors reportedly crashed the site in its aftermath.
Fondation du Patrimoine
The Fondation du Patrimoine, or the Heritage Foundation, funds restoration projects at historical sites across France and has launched a fundraiser dedicated to repairing Notre Dame.
La Fondation Avenir du Patrimoine a Paris
La Fondation Avenir du Patrimoine a Paris, or the Future Foundation of Heritage in Paris, is seeking donations in the amounts of 50-5,000 euros, while warning against contributing to private fundraisers.
GoFundMe
Dozens of campaigns related to the Notre Dame fire have sprouted on popular crowdfunding website GoFundMe.
Via Fortune Magazine/CBS News/ Fox News/Euronews
