About the Community Foundation
What is the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts ?
The Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts was launched in 1995 by a group of dedicated volunteers who wanted to create a new avenue for encouraging philanthropy in Southeastern Massachusetts . The Community Foundation's mission is to improve and protect the quality of life in our region by:
- Promoting collaboration and understanding among all members of the community;
- Providing a flexible permanent vehicle for donors with diverse interests;
- Protecting the community's endowment through prudent investment and effective stewardship;
- Expanding the community's endowment through appropriate solicitation;
- Ascertaining community needs and opportunities and acting as an informed grantmaker
What is a community foundation?
Put simply, a community foundation is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in their community. It is a tax-exempt public charity that allows many donors, through gifts and bequests, to establish permanently endowed funds within the confines of one large foundation.
The first community foundation was established in 1914 in Cleveland , Ohio ; today there are over 500 community foundations in the United States. They range in size of endowment from less than one million dollars to hundreds of millions of dollars. What they share is a common mission -- to help maximize the current and long-term impact of charitable activities in a community while providing donors with significant administrative advantages, tax savings, and recognition. Contact us if you would like copies of our most recent audit or IRS Form 990.
How does the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts work?
The Community Foundation offers donors, both individuals and organizations, great flexibility in fulfilling their philanthropic goals. Monies given to the Community Foundation are invested. Assets are pooled for investment purposes to fund grants benefiting charitable organizations in Southeastern Massachusetts .
The Community Foundation is a public charity and is classified at a 501(c)(3) organization, making all gifts tax deductible in accordance with the law. Gifts can be made in the form of cash, securities, real estate, life insurance. and other recognized forms of giving such as lead trusts, life income unitrusts, and group memorial funds. These gifts and bequests comprise the Funds of the Community Foundation.
Why give through a community foundation?
The Community Foundation offers several advantages to its donors:
- Donors and their families may design and name the charitable fund they wish to establish and recommend specific distributions from it.
- The Community Foundation can accept many kinds of gifts including cash, publicly traded securities, life insurance and deferred gifts such as charitable remainder trusts and bequests.
- The Community Foundation works closely with a donor's personal legal and tax advisors to establish funds within the foundation as quickly and easily as possible.
- Expert investment of assets, professional staffing, legal support, and administrative and financial oversight are all provided under the community foundation umbrella.
How can I set up a fund at the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts?
Individual named funds may be established within the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts and are designed to accomplish the objectives of the individual, family, corporate, or organizational donors. Please visit our Ways to Give page for more information on how you can reach your charitable goals through us.
How will grants be made?
As assets grow over the coming years, the Community Foundation will make discretionary and non-discretionary grants to qualified non-profit organizations serving the residents of Southeastern Massachusetts , in categories such as education, human services, health, culture, and the environment. For more information visit our Grants page.