The devastating fire that ripped through Notre Dame Cathedral has encouraged an outpouring of support from wealthy philanthropists, with billionaires and major companies pledging hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild the ravaged structure. But these large donations have been met with exasperation by the building's senior fundraising adviser, who is asking why it took such a tragic event to raise money the church has desperately needed for years. "It's very, very frustrating," the adviser, Michel Picaud, told NBC News. "The importance of restoring this cathedral is only in the full light today, which is frustrating because part of it has been burned in the fire and has now disappeared." "I think if the restoration work had been already carried out it would have minimized the risk of fire, but as long as we do not know the reason for this catastrophe it is too early to say for sure," Picaud added. At 859 years old, Notre Dame was in dire need of repair before Monday's fire. The 300-foot spire that crumbled in the blaze already had a large number of cracks that needed "immediate restoration," according to the cathedral's website. Many gargoyles were in disrepair and the shifting buttresses were "causing problems for the stability of the whole building," it said. In 2014, France's Ministry of Culture said the work would require 150 million euros in funding (around $169 million). But until Monday raising the cash had proved difficult. Now, after part of the building has been gutted by fire, some of France's richest people and companies have pledged at least 500 million euros to the rebuilding effort. Picaud lamented the paradoxical situation in which he now has more than three times the amount of money he originally asked for, but only after some of the features he wanted to repair have been destroyed. Although he said he was frustrated, he still was still "quite grateful" to those who had donated. "We absolutely need billionaires contributing to this, because the work is now absolutely huge," he said. Because of the country's strict secular laws, Notre Dame is owned by the government, which allows the Archdiocese of Paris to use it for free. The government spends around 2 million euros a year on its upkeep, but the church says this is only enough for relatively minor repairs. "The government is in charge of 93 cathedrals all over France, and the amount dedicated to Notre Dame de Paris was not enough for the restoration," Picaud said. Susan Corr, president of the European Confederation of Conservator-Restorers' Organisations, said this was a common fight for those trying to safeguard even the most celebrated cultural relics. "Heritage sites come at the end of all government budgets," she said. "For people who work in the field, when it comes down to it, it’s hard to get funding. The value of these sites is intrinsic in so many other ways." To try to make up this shortfall, a U.S.-based charity, Friends of Notre Dame, stepped in over the past year or so, raising 3.2 million euros ($3.6 million) from private donors, according to Picaud, who is also the charity's president. Before the fire, the charity had aimed to raise 20 million euros over the next decade, added to 40 million euros pledged by the French government. Around 5.5 million euros of this pot was already being put to use, as could be seen by the scaffolding that surrounded part of the building during Monday's blaze. Statues that stood on Notre Dame were recently removed for restoration. George Gobet / AFP - Getty Images The project aimed to restore the spire and its 250 tons of lead. And days before the fire, the statues of 12 apostles and four evangelists were lifted by crane and taken to southern France for restoration. However, the pre-fire funds of 60 million euros were just over a third of the total needed. It's only now that the blaze has destroyed some of the features that were in need of repair that the required money has flooded in. After the fire, French President Emmanuel Macron announced an international fundraising effort. "We'll rebuild this cathedral all together," he said Monday night. Already, the family of French billionaire Bernard Arnault, along with its luxury goods group LVMH, said it would donate 200 million euros. "The Arnault family and the LVMH Group, in solidarity with this national tragedy, joins the reconstruction efforts of this extraordinary cathedral, symbol of France, its heritage and its unity," according to a statement from LVMH, which is behind brands such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Moet & Chandon. Francois Henri Pinault, the head of Kering — which owns brands including Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent — vowed to donate 100 million euros. "This tragedy is striking all the French people, and beyond that, all those attached to spiritual values," Pinault said in a statement. "Faced with this tragedy, everyone wishes to give life back to this jewel of our heritage as soon as possible." And on Tuesday afternoon, the Bettencourt Meyers family, which owns beauty giant L'Oréal, as well as the French energy company Total announced they would be donating 100 million euros each. Firefighters work at Notre Dame Cathedral on Tuesday. Benoit Tessier / Reuters The cathedral has bounced back before. In 1831 Victor Hugo wrote in his novel, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," that "one cannot but regret, cannot but feel indignant at the innumerable degradations and mutilations inflicted on the venerable pile, both by the action of time and the hand of man." Publicity from the novel lead to it being restored in the 1800s, including the construction of the spire that was destroyed Monday. However some of that work has been criticized by architectural conservationists as sloppy and rushed, making subsequent restoration efforts even harder. Looking to the future, Picaud says he can only hope that the surge of support from household brands will continue after the headlines fade. "My message would be to support us in this program which will now, unfortunately, be even bigger than what we thought at the beginning," he said.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email Nearly US$1 billion has already poured in from ordinary worshippers and high-powered magnates around the world to restore the fire-ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, after the French president set a controversial five-year deadline to get the work done. Construction teams brought in a huge crane and a delivery of planks of wood to the site Wednesday morning. Firefighters are still examining damage and shoring up the structure after Monday’s fire collapsed the cathedral’s spire and destroyed the roof. French President Emmanuel Macron ratcheted up the pressure by setting a five-year deadline to restore the 12th-century landmark. Macron is holding a special Cabinet meeting Wednesday dedicated to the Notre Dame disaster, which investigators believe was an accident possibly linked to renovation work. Story continues below advertisement Bells will toll at cathedrals around France on Wednesday evening in honour of the monument. Remarkably, no one was killed in the fire, after firefighters and church officials speedily evacuated the site during a mass. Presidential cultural heritage envoy Stephane Bern told broadcaster France-Info on Wednesday that 880 million euros (USD $995 million) has been raised in just a day and a half since the fire. Contributions came from near and far, rich and poor – from Apple and magnates who own L’Oreal, Chanel and Dior, to Catholic parishioners and others from small towns and cities around France and the world. WATCH: Notre Dame saved from complete destruction, millions pledged for its restoration 1:28 Notre Dame saved from complete destruction, millions pledged for its restoration Notre Dame saved from complete destruction, millions pledged for its restoration – Apr 16, 2019 The French government is gathering donations and setting up a special office to deal with big-ticket offers. Story continues below advertisement Some criticism has already surfaced among those in France who say the money could be better spent elsewhere, on smaller struggling churches or workers. Meanwhile Macron’s 5-year deadline – which happens to coincide with the 2024 Paris Olympics, which the government wants to make a major showcase – struck many as unrealistic. Pierluigi Pericolo, in charge of restoration and security at the St. Donatian basilica in Nantes, said it could take two to five years just to secure Notre Dame, given its size. READ MORE: France vows to rebuild gutted Notre Dame Cathedral, but experts say it could take decades “It’s a fundamental step, and very complex, because it’s difficult to send workers into a monument whose vaulted ceilings are swollen with water,” he said on France-Info. “The end of the fire doesn’t mean the edifice is totally saved. The stone can deteriorate when it is exposed to high temperatures and change its mineral composition and fracture inside.” Some 30 people have already been questioned in the investigation, which the Paris prosecutor warned would be “long and complex.” Among those questioned are workers at the five construction companies involved in work renovating the church spire and roof that had been under way when the fire broke out. A plan to safeguard the masterpieces and relics was quickly put into action after the fire broke out. Story continues below advertisement The Crown of Thorns, regarded as Notre Dame’s most sacred relic, was among the treasures quickly transported after the fire broke out, authorities said. Brought to Paris by King Louis IX in the 13th century, it is purported to have been pressed onto Christ’s head during the crucifixion. The cathedral’s famous 18th-century organ that boasts more than 8,000 pipes also survived. Some of the paintings and other art works are being dehumidified, protected and eventually restored at the Louvre.<doc-sep>Monday’s calamitous fire at Notre-Dame elicited an unprecedented outpouring of generosity from donors near and far, great and small. But as the embers cooled, so have cracks appeared in the initial élan of unity and controversy flared over funds. Advertising Read more Donations nearing the billion euro mark Donors had by Thursday already pledged €850 million to rebuild the 850-year-old monument. The unheard-of sum appeared with lightning speed -- not least, observers quip, thanks to a fortuitous, decades-old rivalry between two of France’s top culture-minded billionaire families, the Pinaults and the Arnaults, who head the world’s top luxury goods giants, Kering and LVMH. The Pinaults pledged €100 million shortly after midnight on the night of the fire, with the Arnaults adding €200 million as Paris awoke the following morning. The Bettencourt family and its L’Oréal cosmetics firm chipped in €200 million later on Tuesday. Other French fortunes have followed suit (the Bouygues brothers offered up €10 million euros; Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière earmarked €10 million more to revive the building’s iconic spire). ✨ An international solidarity to save this world heritage that is Notre-Dame ! Thanks to the 120 000 donors from all around the world. To support ➡https://t.co/QAB3kFhsK0 pic.twitter.com/TKA0LgURn0 Fondation du patrimoine (@fond_patrimoine) April 17, 2019 Oil giant Total gave €100 million and advertising firm JCDecaux put up €20 million. Business concerns including French banks (BNP, Sociéte Générale, Crédit Agricole, BPCE), insurer Axa, and the pharmaceutical firm Sanofi have made pledges totalling tens of millions. La Française des Jeux, the national lottery company, is allocating its share of the proceeds from Saturday’s Easter lotto for the purpose. The City of Paris (€50 million) leads the flurry of donations from assorted levels of government across the country. Other firms pledged help in kind. Air France-KLM offered free flights for experts officially taking part in the rebuilding of Notre-Dame. The day after the blaze, the insurer Groupama offered 1,300 oak trees from the forests it owns in Normandy, on the assumption the cathedral’s ravaged roof would be rebuilt to match the 13th-century original. Steelmaker ArcelorMittal on Thursday offered up steel. Saint-Gobain has offered its glasswork expertise. Books, videogames, cartoons Publishers of certain French-language editions of Victor Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”, which shot to the top of bestseller lists after the tragedy, have pledged to donate the proceeds. French video game maker Ubisoft, whose Assassin’s Creed Unity includes a faithful digital reproduction of Notre-Dame, promised €500,000 to the cause. We are heartbroken for the French people and those around the world for whom Notre Dame is a symbol of hope. Relieved that everyone is safe. Apple will be donating to the rebuilding efforts to help restore Notre Dame’s precious heritage for future generations.🇫🇷 Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 16, 2019 Abroad, Apple chief Tim Cook pledged an unspecified sum and the Walt Disney Company, which turned Hugo’s Hunchback into a 1996 animated feature, said it would put up $5 million. The University of Notre Dame promised another $100,000. An Olympic effort The International Olympic Committee said it would give €500,000 to boost the chances of meeting French President Emmanuel Macron’s five-year rebuild goal, with Paris slated to host the summer Games in five years’ time. “The objective of completing this reconstruction in time for Paris 2024 will be extra motivation for us all,” IOC President Thomas Bach wrote in a letter to the organisers. In Hungary, the city of Szeged, population 160,000, said it would donate €10,000 in gratitude for a donation from the City of Paris after a flood devastated the city south of Budapest killing 160 people in 1879. Surprised to see a full-on ad campaign asking for Notre-Dame donations on my way home from work today. The Fondation du Patrimoine doesn’t waste any time! pic.twitter.com/wjOXanmXnL Alison Sargent (@sargentali) April 18, 2019 Still, the astronomical pledges from conglomerates, billionaires and government authorities the world over have not discouraged individual donors from stepping forward en masse. The Fondation du Patrimoine, or French Heritage Foundation, had collected €13.1 million in donations from individuals by late Wednesday. It is one of four organisations the French government has certified to take donations, alongside the Fondation de France, the Fondation Notre-Dame de Paris and the Centre des Monuments Nationaux. Scam artists at work The Fondation du Patrimoine issued a warning on Wednesday that fraudsters are seeking to profit from the torrent of generosity after the inferno. “A number of scams have been flagged to us both in France and abroad,” the organisation said Wednesday, saying any phone, mail or e-mail appeals aren’t coming from the foundation. “All of these initiatives are fraudulent.” Taxman lends a hand Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced an extra fiscal incentive for individual donors, bumping the usual tax break for such donations to 75 percent, up from 66 percent, for gifts up to €1,000. Gilles Carrez, the conservative lawmaker who reports to the French lower house’s Finance Committee on heritage spending matters, deplored the fact that exemptions meant taxpayers would be saddled with the lion’s share of reconstruction costs. “Out of nearly €700 million [pledged Tuesday], nearly €420 million will be financed by the state, by way of the 2020 budget,” Carrez told Le Monde. The MEDEF employers’ union, for its part, put out a statement on Thursday noting that, since Notre-Dame Cathedral belongs to the state, which serves as its own insurer for the building, all of the rebuilding costs would fall to the state anyway. “Every donation, even tax exempt at 60 percent, is therefore a 40 percent savings for the state on the amount given,” it said. In short, since no one would suggest leaving the emblematic landmark in ruin, every little contribution helps. #NotreDameDeParis Many of you have shown your support and gratitude for our fight against the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. It forces us! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/Lp3LVw3Siu Pompiers de Paris (@PompiersParis) April 18, 2019 Some rich donors, meanwhile -- amid mounting controversy over their motivations as well as the hit to taxpayers – said they would forgo the fiscal favours attached to giving.<doc-sep>The fire that tore through Notre-Dame led to an outpouring of grief over the priceless history that went up in smoke, but it also led to an outpouring of generous donations from some of the world’s wealthiest individuals. Around $1 billion has been donated, and French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to use that money to help rebuild the storied cathedral. But not everyone thinks it’s the best use of the money. Many have taken to social media to argue that there are numerous causes — from famine and poverty, to the drinking water in Flint, Michigan — that should take precedence when it comes to aid. Here’s some of the criticism that’s fueling the debate over what causes should be prioritized when it comes to donations from the world’s wealthiest. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we had the same global rally of support, donations and just general sympathy for the planet and natural places as we do for Notre Dame. Just a thought. — Bridget Williams (@briidbget) April 18, 2019 Once again. I’ll say this again we got a city on our own soil without water. https://t.co/lYBwsBxejy — kuz (@kylekuzma) April 17, 2019 Don’t forget, Mr. President. Black churches have been burned down by racists and still need to be rebuilt. Puerto Rico still hasn’t recovered from Hurricane Maria. Flint still doesn’t have clean water. We also need your help. https://t.co/PJ7UCmZnnJ — Voto Latino (@votolatino) April 16, 2019 Apparently, 600 million euros has been amassed to rebuild the damaged Notre Dame. In 24 hours. This life is actually hilarious. While there are probably homeless people suffering half a mile around it. While there are issues within communities to be alleviated. Humanity is weak — Kruma (@judeblay) April 16, 2019 As pleased as I am to see #NotreDame will be rebuilt, I find it infuriating that a few billionaires can suddenly spare a few hundred million euros for this when there are far, far bigger HUMAN issues that could be dealt with. — Evie the Cat (@HMCabinetCat) April 16, 2019<doc-sep>
French President Emmanuel Macron promised to rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral following a devastating fire that destroyed the Paris landmark’s spire and roof on Monday. Overnight, donations have been flooding in in the hundreds of millions. As of Wednesday morning, nearly €800 million ($995 million) had been raised for what is sure to be a massive rebuilding project, Presidential cultural heritage envoy Stephane Bern told broadcaster France-Info. Much of that money is coming from some wealthy French citizens, including Salma Hayek’s husband François-Henri Pinault, who heads Kering SA, the fashion company behind Gucci and Alexander McQueen among other luxury designers. Pinault pledged a donation of €100 million ($113 million). However, the city is also getting creative in the way they’re asking for funds. The French version of Google Maps is offering information on how to donate to the fund when you click on Notre Dame Cathedral, and many of the larger shops have an automatic question on their keypad at check out that asks customers if they want to round up their charged amount with the difference going toward the rebuild. Notre Dame fire Bernard Arnault, who heads Kering’s rival company LVMH, which is the parent company of Louis Vuitton, Moët and Hennessy pledged that he and his company would donate €200 million ($226 million) to the reconstruction. “In the wake of this national tragedy, the Arnault family and the LVMH Group pledge their support for #NotreDame,” LVMH posted on Twitter. “They will donate a total of 200 million euros to the fund for reconstruction of this architectural work, which is an integral part of the history of France.” Notre Dame fire Along with their monetary donation, the company offered to help in the rebuilding process with services from “all of its teams — including creative, architectural and financial specialists.” Notre Dame fire Total SA, an energy company based in France, also stepped in with a €100 million ($113 million) donation. The heir of Lilliane Bettencourt, who headed L’Oreal and was considered the wealthiest woman in the world until she passed away two years ago at the age of 94, also announced a donation of €200 million euros ($226 million), according to Reuters. The gift will be made through the Bettencourt Foundation in the name of Liliane’s daughter Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also announced a €50 million ($56 million) donation from the City of Paris, while the regional government agreed to provide €10 million ($11 million), the Washington Post reports. “In 2024, Paris will host the world for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We need to do everything we can so that the Notre Dame cathedral is returned to all its splendor for this occasion,” Hidalgo said. Notre Dame fire RELATED VIDEO: Salma Hayek’s Husband François-Henri Pinault Pledges $113 Million to Rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral Martin Bouygues who runs a French telecoms construction group and has helped renovate the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay, said that he and his brother Olivier would be offering €10 million ($11 million) along with their construction services to rebuild, CNBC reports. Vinci construction group also said they would be willing to help repair the landmark and called on other building firms to donate their services. Technology consulting firm Capgemini pledged €1 million ($1.1 million), advertising group JCDecaux is donating €20 million ($22.5 million), and financial firm Societe Generale offered €10 million ($11 million) in support. Marc Ladreit de Lacharriere, the CEO of investment group Fimalac, pledged €10 million ($11 million), Reuters reports. Notre Dame fire According to CNBC, Air France and KLM issued a joint statement that their “teams around the world have been deeply affected and saddened since yesterday,” and said they would be providing free transportation for all of the official partners who are involved with rebuilding Notre Dame. The airlines are also setting up a donation fund for the cathedral. Apple CEO Tim Cook also announced his support of the rebuilding efforts on Twitter on Tuesday, writing “We are heartbroken for the French people and those around the world for whom Notre Dame is a symbol of hope. Relieved that everyone is safe. Apple will be donating to the rebuilding efforts to help restore Notre Dame’s precious heritage for future generations.” Cook did not elaborate on a monetary value of his donation. Many groups are also asking for donations from the public, including The French Heritage Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving historic buildings. It has raised over €3.7 million ($4.1 million) overnight.