WHAT IS A COMMUNITY FOUNDATION?

A community foundation is a tax-exempt, non-profit, publicly supported philanthropic organization with the long-term goal of building permanent, named funds, for the broad-based public benefit of the residents in a given area.

COMMON MISSION

The purpose of every community foundation is to enhance the quality of life in the local area. Community foundations carry out this very broad mission by building permanent endowment funds and using a portion of the annual income to support a variety of local non-profit organizations through grants and special projects.

The IRS recognizes community foundations as public charities in part because they receive support from the general public and their boards largely represent the areas served.

HOW IT WORKS?

It begins with donors – individuals, businesses, non-profit organizations – who have a passion for some charitable purpose in the community. Donors make charitable gifts which are used to create or grow endowed funds. Distributions from the endowments fulfill the donor’s charitable wishes through grants and scholarships.