Introduction
Overview
Review of Community Foundation Developments Around the World
In 1999 the International Programs department of the Council on Foundations and the newly-formed Worldwide INitiatives for Grantmaker Support-Community Foundations (WINGS-CF) sponsored a project to track for the first time the development of community foundations around the world. The project recognized that the community foundation concept was spreading quickly beyond its traditional base in North America and the United Kingdom and was beginning to have worldwide impact. The report on that project showed that interest in the community foundation model was widespread and growing, and the numbers of new community foundations were beginning to take off, especially in areas where private foundations and member-based organizations were supporting their development.1
The 2003 Community Foundation Global Status Report provides an update on international community foundation trends and developments since the last report and is planned to be the first in a series of annual reports on the community foundation field. It shows that in just three years time:
The 2003 Community Foundations Global Status Report is composed of two sections. The first is a general overview of what community foundations are; the trends in their development as viewed from a global perspective; and highlights of community foundation developments by region. The second part consists of country reports. The main difference between this report and the 2000 report is that, in areas where there are support organizations for community foundations, the country reports on community foundations, for the most part, come from the support organizations themselves - from the people closest to community foundation activities in those countries and regions.
The country reports are based on a survey questionnaire. The intent is for the information to be collected and presented on-line and updated annually. The report will be available only in a new web-based format, in order to keep up with the fast pace of community foundation developments. The fact that an annual update is now necessary and that the report can be constructed in this way is a real mark of how far and how fast the international community foundation field has come in three short years.
1. Sacks, Eleanor W. "The Growth of Community Foundations around the World," May 2000. Available in English and Spanish on: http://www.wingsweb.org/ under the Other Resources section.
Throughout recorded time human beings have demonstrated their willingness to promote the well-being of others and the betterment of their communities. Most acts of generosity or charity are done informally, neighbor to neighbor, in times of crises, or out of a sense of religious duty. The act of giving back to one's community - by volunteering time and talents or by giving goods or money - is called community philanthropy.
Community philanthropy can be informal and immediate in nature, or it can be more structured. Community philanthropy organizations are formed to collect, manage and distribute charitable resources; they provide sustainable longer-term approaches to meeting community needs. One of the fastest growing forms of organized community philanthropy today is the community foundation.
Community foundations are not a new phenomenon. As the modern concept has become better known and more widespread, researchers have found examples of community foundation-like organizations going back to at least the twelfth century. For the most part these early examples were based around communities defined by a common religion.
The modern community foundation movement began in the first part of the twentieth century with the founding of the The Cleveland Foundation in the United States in 1914. The main feature of our current conception of a community foundation is that community is defined by the geographic area served - whether it is a city, a county, a region, or even a country - and seeks to better the lives of all peoples living in that area.
The first report on international community foundation developments demonstrated that, at the millennium:
In the past three years the international community foundation field has continued its rapid rate of growth. Perhaps the most dramatic example is that of Germany. Three years ago Germany reported 10 community foundations in operation and seven more cities where community foundations were either in formation or at the exploratory stage. This was considered remarkable, because the first community foundation was established there only in 1996. At the beginning of 2003, there are now at least 50 established community foundations, with approximately 80 more in formation. Germany has been blessed with having a national foundation, the Bertelsmann Foundation, take the lead in promoting the concept and supporting its development, along with a number of other national foundations and member-based associations of grantmakers.
Perhaps just as remarkable has been the formation of 15 community foundations in Russia, where local traditions of philanthropy had been actively opposed during the 70 years of the Soviet regime. Five years ago the head of the Charities Aid Foundation-Russia, which has been the leader in developing community foundations in Russia, was talking about the difficulties in building community foundations in a land without a sense of community. Now the community foundations in Russia have grown to the point where they have formed their own network to share information electronically and meet nationally to discuss their mutual concerns, and CAF-Russia has hired a program manager for community foundations.
The latest count of community foundations worldwide is approaching 1,100. At least 365 have been formed outside the U.S., which is nearly a 60 per cent increase in just three years. Even though community foundation formation in the U.K. and Canada remains strong, their community foundations now account for only 52 per cent of the community foundations outside the U.S. Thirty countries were identified in 2000 as having existing community foundations or community foundations actively in development. In 2003, this report identifies 37 countries, more than a 20 per cent increase. These facts attest to the tremendous growth of community foundations worldwide. In all cases these numbers are probably underestimated. Interest in community foundations is being explored in many countries not currently on the list of countries profiled in this report. Reports of new community foundations being formed in other parts of the world are coming in almost daily.
Community foundations, formed along the lines of the traditional model, have a number of characteristics in common.
They:
No two community foundations are exactly alike. They are shaped by local traditions, history and culture to meet the needs of their local areas. Even in regions where they have been established for the longest period of time, variations in structure and emphasis have developed. Community foundations may display most but not all of the attributes listed above. They may emphasize one characteristic over another. The adaptability of the concept makes it possible for each country and local area to mold its community foundation to fits its unique circumstances.
The differences can be illustrated by who donates to community foundations in different parts of the world. In the U.S., for example, where government is decentralized and traditions of individual rights and self-reliance are strong, community foundations have been built on the generosity of individuals who want to give back to their communities.
In Russia, where under the communist regime the old traditions of philanthropy were seen as elitist and were brutally crushed, trust in philanthropic institutions has been more difficult to achieve, and until recently there was not much individual wealth. This has led to local businesses, such as banks and large companies involved in the production of minerals and oil, taking a significant role in funding community foundations. They recognize that community foundations can provide the resources necessary for responding to social needs, and, in so doing, they help to provide for a stable society and economy.
In Western Zimbabwe the endowment for the community foundation was started with Qogelela funds, small contributions from over 50,000 people. There they are building on a local collective savings tradition, which is characterized by a large number of small contributions being pooled to meet the needs of the community. In Anguilla, B.W.I., "jollification," the local term for neighbors helping neighbors, is forming the basis of their community foundation's fundraising strategy.
In the U.K. grants from the national government, local authorities, and charitable trusts have provided community foundations with the majority of funds for operating costs and pass through2 grantmaking, while companies and individuals have made significant contributions to community foundation endowments.
Variation in the ways community foundations attract funds is only one example of how community foundations can be successful by adapting the community foundation model to meet their local needs and circumstances. Examples just as easily could be drawn from the differences in governance structures and board composition or any of the other functional areas of community foundation operations. As long as community foundations remain true to the basic concept, there can be a great deal of flexibility in how community foundations are constructed and carry out their mission.
The creativity and ingenuity communities have displayed in developing the community foundation concept is a testimony to the power of the idea and its effectiveness. As more and more community foundations are developed around the world, every country, region and community will find a way to take the concept and make it truly their own.
2. Pass through funds are provided by an individual donor or funder, such as a foundation or government agency, for a specific grantmaking purpose. Community foundations then regrant these funds to local organizations for projects in their communities. These types of funds "pass through" or "flow through" community foundations and are not part of their permanent assets, although community foundations may take a fee for administering these funds. An example of "pass through" funding is the Local Network Fund for Children and Young People, supported by the U.K. government's Children and Young People's Unit and managed by the Community Foundation Network, which provides funds to community foundations in the U.K. to tackle "poverty and disadvantage affecting children and young people from 0 - 19 years of age."
The decade from the early 1990s through today has seen tremendous activity in all parts of the world in support of community foundations and community philanthropy. A number of factors combined to make this the decade of the community foundation.
The countries in the West enjoyed a prolonged economic expansion and an enormous increase in individual wealth. The beginnings of the intergenerational transfer of wealth from the World War II generation, when combined with this new wealth, meant that individuals had large amounts of disposable income with which to build up philanthropic institutions.
At the same time it became evident that not all members of the community in the West were participating equally in the benefits of a strong economy. The gap between rich and poor was widening, just as governments were retreating from providing social services and a safety net for the poor and needy. Responsibility for social programs was being devolved to local governments and social services were being privatized, without providing the resources necessary to do so. The growing needs of local communities meant, paradoxically, that in an era of affluence, the need for community philanthropy organizations, such as community foundations, increased.
Many western democracies, which had built social welfare systems to meet the social needs of their citizens, came to believe that the centralized provision of services was too expensive and inefficient. They felt that the best solutions to local concerns would be developed by those closest to the issues, and they looked to local authorities to find solutions to their problems.
The problems of integrating immigrant populations and other minority groups also weighed heavily on local areas. Many of these immigrant workers had come to fill the essential, but low-paying, jobs that local citizens would not take. The needs of these groups put additional strain on local social services and created tensions between local citizens and members of immigrant and minority groups, who often did not share the same cultural and religious traditions.
The fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe focused funders' efforts on supporting the creation of new political, economic, and social structures. This happened at the same time that large international funders, foundations and development agencies, also came to understand that huge development programs, run centrally by the funders, were expensive and were not creating effective long-term solutions to local problems. They decided it would be better to build up the capacity of local citizens and nonprofit organizations to find the best solutions for their local areas.
Securing the sustainability of the local nonprofit sector became the key concept for funders, so that, when they eventually departed, local communities would be in a position to carry on with their own resources - both human and financial.
In this era of globalization, the community foundation concept has proven to be especially powerful, because it works at the local level to address community needs at first hand. As national boundaries become more porous and central governments retreat from taking responsibility for the welfare of their citizens, the community foundation model has emerged as a highly effective way to invigorate and support the nonprofit sector. By promoting philanthropy and building up assets for the long-term, it ensures that local communities can take charge of improving the quality of life for all their citizens. Community foundations do more than just build assets. They also serve to build communities and strengthen community leadership as local citizens come together to create a common vision for the future.
The growth in the numbers of community foundations around the globe began to take off in the mid-1990s. The first community foundation in Central and Eastern Europe, the Healthy City Community Foundation of Banska Bystrica, was formed in 1994 in the Slovak Republic. Community foundation development in Mexico began in earnest in 1995, although a number of community foundation-like organizations existed before that time. The first community foundation in Germany was established in 1996; the first in Russia - 1998; the first in Italy - 1999; the first in South Africa - 1999. In 1989 only a handful of community foundations existed outside of Canada, the U.K. and the U.S.; by 2000 the number had grown to about 80, and in 2003 the number is now around 180, representing an increase of 125 per cent in just three years' time.
The 1990s also saw remarkable growth in areas where community foundations had a longer history. Community foundations in Canada increased their numbers in the 1990s by more than 150 per cent. Following the creation in 1921 of the first community foundation in Canada, The Winnipeg Foundation, another 35 community foundations were formed by the 1980s. More than 55 were formed in the 1990s, and today there are over 125 community foundations in Canada. They continue to be formed at a rate of about five per year. The number of U.K. community foundations grew at a similarly fast pace.
In the 1990s community foundations in the U.S. were called the fastest growing form of philanthropy. Their rate of growth, especially in terms of asset size and donations, has slowed somewhat recently due to the downturn in the economy. The most recent Columbus Foundation survey of U.S. community foundations reports that, in 2001, 658 community foundations had total combined assets of $31.2 billion dollars. The Council on Foundation's latest count of community foundations in the U.S. is nearly 700, with more in development.
Mexico is a hub of activity. There are approximately 20 community foundations or community foundation-like organizations in Mexico. Community foundations in Mexico were invited to participate in the Transatlantic Community Foundation Network (TCFN),3 during its second three-year period. The current President of Mexico was active in initiating community foundations while he was Governor of the State of Guanajuato, and continues to be an advocate for community foundations throughout the country. A new cross border initiative, the U.S.-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership, was begun in 2002.
Community foundations are firmly established and spreading in Western Europe, even if most are still in the start-up stage of their development. They have attracted significant support from individuals, businesses, local funders and governments, who are receptive to the concept.
The picture is somewhat more complex for Central and Eastern Europe. After the Soviet era came to an end in 1989, the countries that were part of the Soviet sphere of influence, but had remained independent states, received a lot of support from international funders, such as the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Soros foundations, and governmental development agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Because they were not as tightly bound to the Soviet regime, and still had a collective memory of life before communism, these countries were able to make the transition to a market economy and democratic political institutions fairly quickly, if not without pain. A number of these countries, including Poland, the Czech Republic and the Baltic states, have now "graduated" from the foreign-funded programs that helped them build new democratic and free market institutions and a third sector in their countries. However, community philanthropy organizations in some of these newly-fledged countries in Central and Eastern Europe may experience some rough patches as they begin to stand on their own.
As the large international funders transition out of these countries, they are taking the lessons learned from their efforts in Central Europe and carrying them into other areas where the need is greater. Funders are now focusing their efforts on areas that were more closely tied to the Soviet regime, that is, the former Soviet republics, the 12 so-called newly-independent states (NIS), and areas which are having a harder time making the transition, such as the Balkans. There is a lot of activity in the NIS now, and efforts are beginning to bear fruit. A report was received recently of a community foundation being formed in Belarus at the end of 2002.
The first community foundation in the Middle East was formed in 2000 in the rural Beit Shean region of Israel, with consultation and advice from The Cleveland Foundation in the U.S. It was created with the support of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland, Ohio and an Israeli nonprofit organization devoted to social change.
Community foundation developments are proceeding more slowly in South America. The interest in community foundations is growing, but the numbers of foundations of all kinds is not large, and the concept is being carefully introduced and adapted.
Community foundation developments in Africa are continuing. The four community foundations in Kenya, Zimbabwe, West Africa and Mozambique were all started with significant financial and technical support from international funders. All now are developing strategies that focus on building assets from local sources. Interest in the community foundation concept is high and continues to grow as more and more people learn how effective the community foundation concept can be in increasing community development.
The five-year community foundations initiative in South Africa, sponsored by the Southern African Grantmakers' Association, is drawing to a close in 2003. Its purpose was to test the concept in 10 selected communities, spanning urban, suburban and rural environments. At the end of the program as many as five or six community foundations will have been formed. Establishing community foundations in the four poor and relatively rural areas has proved difficult to achieve, due to the lack of local resources. A number of communities not in the original program have expressed an interest in forming community foundations in their areas. The results of the initiative will be evaluated and a strategy devised for continuing to promote and develop community foundations in South Africa.
Asia is another area where the interest in community foundations is high and growing, thanks in part to efforts by international funders and intermediary organizations to promote the concept, and to the example of the positive role community foundations have played in other parts of the world. India has two community foundations and two support organizations that are promoting the development of community foundations. It also has the potential to create more due to the large numbers of middle class Indians involved in high technology, engineering and science careers both in India and abroad. A foundation with community foundation characteristics was formed in Bangladesh in 1999 with the support of The Ford Foundation. A meeting to introduce participants from Thailand and Indonesia to the community foundation concept was recently held in Thailand. A survey of nonprofits and foundations in the Philippines is currently underway to find ones with community foundation-like characteristics. At least one foundation in the Philippines has already announced its intention to restructure itself along the lines of a community foundation.
Community foundation development in Japan has taken its own path. Japan has two community foundations, one dating back to 1991, formed by a local chamber of commerce. National funders, such as the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, are more likely to fund philanthropy initiatives outside of Japan than they are in their own country. However, the voluntary sector is gaining in importance in Japan and researchers there are actively exploring the community foundation concept in order to find ways to adapt it and make it more easily transferable to the Japanese context.
Australia has been actively developing community foundations, especially in rural areas, thanks to the support of a local private foundation and the national government. Interest in community foundations is growing in New Zealand, which is also actively exploring the concept. It has several community foundations and a large number of community trusts that do not raise funds, some of which may transform themselves into more community foundation-like structures.
As the numbers of community foundations multiply outside their traditional base, the adaptability of the concept is being proven over and over again. The more examples there are of successful community foundation models in different parts of the world, the more the interest in community foundations grows.
3. For more information on TCFN, see the "Trends in the Growth of Peer-to-Peer Networking and Learning Opportunities" section below.
One sign of the growing maturity of the international community foundation movement is the continued growth of support organizations. Support organizations provide their members or constituents with current information on issues of importance; promote the interests of community foundations before governments bodies; create opportunities for networking and peer-to-peer learning through conferences and other meetings; offer technical assistance programs to increase the effectiveness of organizations; and help promote the community foundation concept through publications and presentations.
The U.S. has many different types of organizations that support community foundation development. The first member-based support organization for community foundations was an association formed in 1949 in the U.S. This association later evolved into the Council on Foundations. The Council's first annual conference solely for community foundations was held in 1985. Other support organizations for grantmakers have been formed on a regional basis in the U.S. The largest of the Regional Associations of Grantmakers (RAGs) have programs focused on the needs of their community foundation members.4 In some states community foundations have come together to form their own state-wide associations to address the legal, political and grantmaking concerns of their members. A new research and development organization, Community Foundations of America, was formed in 1999 by a group of community foundations to deliver high end products and services, such as marketing tools and technology platforms.
The pace of support organization creation began to pick up in the late 1980s with the formation of the European Foundation Centre (EFC) in 1989. The EFC established its Community Philanthropy Initiative (CPI) in 1997 in order to strengthen and increase community philanthropy at the local level by building the capacity of community philanthropy organizations such as community foundations.
The formation in the U.K. of Community Foundation Network (CFN), formerly the Association of Community Trusts and Foundations (ACTAF), followed in 1991. Community Foundations of Canada was created in 1992. These are the only national member-based support organizations, formed by and for community foundations, and devoted entirely to community foundation issues.
Efforts to support the development of community foundations soon followed in: Russia (1994), South Africa (1997); Mexico (1998); Poland (1998); Australia (1998), and Brazil (1999), among others.
In 2001, due to the enormous increase in the numbers of German community foundations, the Bertelsmann Foundation and other national funders helped to set up the Community Foundations Initiative in Berlin, to promote the establishment of new community foundations, professionalize the work of existing ones and publicize the community foundation concept.
A watershed moment for the development of the international community foundation field came in October 1998 when a group of organizations that support the development of community foundations came together to discuss issues of mutual concern. Shortly thereafter it joined with another association of support organizations, the International Meeting of Associations Serving Grantmakers (IMAG), to form Worldwide INitiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS). WINGS-Community Foundations (WINGS-CF), its first sub-group, focuses solely on organizations supporting community foundation development. One might call it a support organization for support organizations.
Under the able leadership of Community Foundations of Canada, which housed and developed the WINGS-CF Secretariat for its first three years,5 WINGS-CF has developed into a mature network, with a global committee structure and working groups to address issues common to all organizations that support the development of community foundations. One of the first projects WINGS-CF co-sponsored was to measure the size of the worldwide community foundation movement, which produced the first version of this report.
4. Several of the RAGs are active in WINGS-CF and were invited to provide information for this report. A profile was received from the Indiana Grantmakers Association, which provides insight into the types of activities they and other RAGs in the U.S. undertake.
5. The WINGS-CF Secretariat rotated, along with WINGS, to the European Foundation Centre as of January 1, 2003 for its second three-year term.
The last three years have seen many new opportunities for community foundations to come together across national borders to discuss issues of common concern.
The Council on Foundations has always included international community foundations among its members and invites representatives of community foundations from other countries to attend its annual Fall Conference for Community Foundations. For a number of years, the Council has promoted international attendance through a scholarship program funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Other national and regional meetings of community foundations also welcome participants from outside their areas to increase learning and gain perspective.
Another new direction has been the creation of programs that work across borders to bring together community foundation staff members.
The Transatlantic Community Foundation Fellowship (TCFF) program was initiated in 1999; its first class of fellows was selected in 2000. Each year five U.S. and five European senior staff members of community foundations are selected to participate in this peer exchange program for community foundation professionals. Fellows spend three carefully structured weeks at a host community foundation on the other side of the Atlantic to learn about the social, cultural, and economic circumstances affecting the development of community foundations in a country other than their own. The program is jointly sponsored by the King Baudouin Foundation of Belgium and the United States (KBF) and the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMFUS), with additional support from the Mott Foundation.
In 1999 the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation came together to establish the Transatlantic Community Foundation Network (TCFN). The network provides a platform for the exchange of experience and expertise among community foundations on both sides of the Atlantic. It seeks to identify good practices and share them with emerging and existing community foundations. In addition, its goal is to foster this form of philanthropy in countries where the concept is still new. Membership is limited; currently there are 46 members of TCFN, drawn from community foundations in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and from across Europe. TCFN carries out its activities through working groups on topics of interest to all community foundations and publishes its reports on the TCFN website: http://www.tcfn.efc.be/. The first stage (1999-2002) was successfully completed. The Bertelsmann and Mott foundations have agreed to support TCFN for another three-year period (2002-2005).
A new initiative, the U.S.-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership, funded by Mexican and U.S. foundations and managed by The Synergos Institute, was begun in 2002. While not an exchange program in the strictest sense, its purpose is to bring together community foundations on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border to "improve the quality of life along the border region." It will do this by: increasing community philanthropic activity; improving the organization capacity and programs of border community foundations; promoting collaboration among border community foundations and their funding partners; and engaging local philanthropic leaders.
These programs, which bring together community foundation staff members across national borders, have proved highly successful. Thus far they only have benefited a limited number of community foundations in the North. It will be interesting to see, in the next several years, if these types of fellowship and information exchanges can be replicated around the world.
Another sign of the maturation of the worldwide community foundation field is that, as the number of community foundations has grown, community foundations themselves are now forming national and regional affinity groups, creating their own opportunities to learn from one another. Affinity groups are not as formally structured as membership organizations, yet they may evolve into membership organizations over time.
National affinity groups are now meeting in Germany, Russia, Bulgaria, Poland, among other countries, and at least one regional affinity group, the Visegrad Network of Community Funds and Foundations, brings together community foundations and community philanthropy organizations from Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Support organizations are also seeing the benefit of international exchanges. WINGS-CF has developed its own Peer Match program to share information and learning, and to help WINGS-CF organizations link with their colleague organizations in the network. The Peer Match program pairs two support organizations. Two representatives from each organization visits the other's offices for a week to 10 days. At the beginning of 2002 Community Foundations of Canada and the Institute for the Development of Social Investment (Brazil) piloted the new program. Later in 2002, matches took place between Philanthropy Australia and Community Foundation Network (U.K.), and between Charities Aid Foundation-Russia and the Centro Mexicano para la Filantropia (CEMEFI).
Planning is currently underway for another major new development for the international field. For the first time representatives of community foundations from around the world will meet at a global forum to be held in 2004. The forum will bring together community foundation practitioners from all over the world to examine the community foundation movement from a global perspective.
National and international funders are a powerful force in spreading the community foundation concept. Without their support, it is certain that the community foundation movement would not have traveled as far and as fast as it has in the last several decades.
Community foundation funders cover a broad spectrum. Private foundations have played the largest role, especially the large international foundations. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and The Ford Foundation have been consistent in their support for community foundations over the long term and have been leading the way. Many national and regional foundations have also been active in their areas. Others funders include national governments, government-funded entities devoted to international development, and local authorities. Corporate foundations and corporations with social responsibility programs have also played a key role in some areas. This is especially true in countries that are rich in natural resources, where companies that extract natural resources realize they have a responsibility to improve the quality of life for their workers.
Funders responded to the fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe with grant programs that attacked the problem of integrating the newly forming democracies into western political and economic structures. A major part of these efforts were programs that sought to build and reinforce civil society structures. The Open Society Clubs initiated by George Soros are a good example of these direct efforts.
Sustainability of the nonprofit sector has been a key consideration for the funders of community foundations in all parts of the world. As the regimes in Central and Eastern Europe have progressed, funders are looking to find ways to consolidate the gains by providing for the long-term support of the nonprofit sector. Instead of continuing to fund a multiplicity of local organizations directly, funders, including foundations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, are turning to new strategies, which involve encouraging resource development at the local level.
As countries "graduated" from being a focus area for post-communist development efforts, funders like the United States Agency for International Development and some foundations, began to take a less hands-on approach. As part of their exit strategies, these funders first supported the development of community foundations as a way to provide sustainable support for the local nonprofit sector.
The next step has been to set up independent foundations, often with a number of other funders, which are designed to close down after a limited number of years. One example is the Baltic-American Partnership Fund established in 1998 by the USAID and the Open Society Institute (the Soros Foundation), as a public-private partnership. Another is the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe established in 2000 by a consortium of large international funders. The Trust's stated purpose is to: "support the development and long-term stabilization of civil society in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia." Both of these entities were created to have a ten-year life span.
These new endowed foundations provide several benefits for funders:
The success of the community foundation strategy in Central and Eastern Europe, in Mexico, in Africa and in other parts of the world, has led funders to use this same approach as they move their focus to countries in other parts to the world that are poorer and less well developed.
Another proof of the success of the community foundation development strategy has been the recent entry of the World Bank into the field. The World Bank is now in the process of establishing a new initiative to support community foundations in developing areas.6
6. A catalyst for this effort was the research report written by Joyce Malombe, "Community Development Foundations: Emerging Partnerships," when she was a staff member of their Civil Society unit. Joyce Malombe was one of the founders of the Kenya Community Development Foundation. Community development foundations are structured like community foundations. They seek long-term funding and build endowments, but initially they may focus more narrowly on community development issues, especially issues related to poverty. The report is available on the World Bank website at: http://www.worldbank.org/participation/civickeyread.htm.
Community foundations are no longer being formed in relative isolation. Organizations that support the development of community foundations are multiplying and providing services that increase the rate of community foundation formation and strengthen existing community foundations. International networking is increasing, so that lessons learned are being shared rapidly across national boundaries. Funders are no longer working alone in disparate areas. Funders are coming together to pool their resources and have greater impact. Funders are taking the lessons learned in Central and Eastern Europe, in Mexico and in Africa and spreading the concept to new areas.
The community foundation concept has found nearly universal acceptance due to its ability to: adapt to local conditions, create long-term assets for the community, serve a multiplicity of donors, and support civil society. The numbers of community foundations will continue to grow because of all the ways they help to build communities.
Fuller descriptions of community foundation developments are contained in the country reports. To access the country reports from this section, click on a region below.
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Canada
Community Foundations of CanadaName and Title of primary contact for WINGS-CF Address: Telephone: Fax: Email: Web Site: Community Foundations In Your Country/Region:History: The first community foundation in Canada, The Winnipeg Foundation, was formed in 1921, soon after the community foundation model was developed in the United States. Community foundation formation began to take off in the 1970s and 1980s. There are now over 125 community foundations in Canada. Nearly half of the existing community foundations were formed in the 1990s. Community Foundations of Canada, the national membership organization, was formed in 1992 and has played a major role in encouraging the development of community foundations in Canada. Rapid growth continues. Five to six new community foundations have been established annually for the last few years. Start-up situations are different now than in the past. New community foundations are emerging from the community itself, often as a result of issues. For example, Grand Forks arose to tackle child poverty. Community Foundations of Canada is encouraging collaboration and joint efforts among start-ups, but there are resistances, as each community feels it is special and unique. The goal is to cover all of Canada in the next few years. The challenge is figuring out how to do this effectively. Local/national environment for charitable giving: Local attitudes: Attitudes are changing as community foundations become better known. The downside is that our noise/bark is bigger than our bite. It is not yet clear what impact we really have. The current economic climate is slowing things down. More work needs to be done with professional advisors. There has been some success with the media in bringing the community foundation profile to the public. Philanthropy in Canada, in general, is achieving a higher profile. Overall, donor education is a major need/theme. Legislative and legal environment: Canadian tax law encourages donations to nonprofit organizations through tax deductions, but does not accord any special status to community foundations. Some tax changes need to be made. CFC is considering its role in advancing them. Changing attitudes and the local/national
environment: There needs to be :
more media attention to philanthropy. Recent accomplishments / current challenges: A new, successful professional development program for community foundation staff and boards has been developed (CF-LINKS). The Internet is being used as a tool for communication and learning. Community foundations are providing leadership in issues facing the voluntary sector. Community foundations are now key actors. Community foundation board and staff members have participated in international meetings and programs, including peer exchanges. Future developments for community foundations: More work needs to be done to increase:
donor education. Community foundation funders: Community foundation support comes primarily from individuals and local governments, and there is growing corporate support. Community foundation profile(s): See CFC Web site, under "Community Foundation Stories" and in CFC's Annual Report (http://www.community-fdn.ca/). Complete list of community foundations in your country or
region: See "Community Foundation Finder" on CFC web-site. Web Site: http://www.community-fdn.ca Organizations That Support and Promote the Development of Community FoundationsHistory: A case study has been prepared for the larger WINGS initiative on CFC's role as an association. The WINGS case studies are due for publication in the spring of 2003; watch the WINGS Web site: http://www.wingsweb.org Recent accomplishments / current challenges: An initiative is underway to understand the benefit/impact of grants,
including the development of resources/tools to help foundations look at
their effectiveness. Additional ResourcesRelated Documents:
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Mexico
Espiral, SCName and Title of primary contact for WINGS-CF Address: Telephone: Fax: Email: Web Site: Synopsis: Although we are formally working only in the state of Guanajuato, we are aware that community foundations, or organizations calling themselves a community foundation, are in the idea and start-up stage throughout the country. In our experience it is critical for an organization to work on developing its identity (e.g. principles, characteristics and constituting elements), which in turn constitutes the ideological, political and ethical basis for building the organization. There is enthusiasm at the local level to participate; it takes time to learn critical concepts, such as philanthropy, grantmaking, accountability. The legal framework is fragile and in the state of Guanajuato the four community foundations are beginning to address this issue at a state level. Many are starting up, and we are challenged with providing them with processes, programs, tools, and information that will make them sustainable organizations within the Mexican context. Community Foundations In Your Country/Region:History: CEMEFI has the history for the country as a whole (see the second profile on Mexico). Local/national environment for charitable giving: Local attitudes: We have a subsidized mentality! For too many years we have relied on government sources of funding. Today citizens need to have the opportunity to learn about participating in the development of the well being of their communities, exercising citizenship by practicing volunteerism and choosing to make gifts to a community foundation. Legislative and legal environment: The current legal system does not contemplate grantmaking foundations - all legally incorporated entities are considered NGOs. As soon as community foundations actively begin to mobilize resources locally towards building their endowments, we will learn further of the limitations. Changing attitudes and the local/national
environment: Perhaps doing surveys on a national level in order to identify attitudes and subsequently develop strategies. It is challenging in an environemnet where the expectation is to receive public funds and/or funds from international grantmakers. We must be cautious. Sustainable community foundations will result from a process that includes education, development and training - capacity building, in other words. Recent accomplishments / current challenges: As a result of its project in the state of Guanajuato, Espiral will have developed a manual for building community foundations by March 2003. Community foundation funders: See CEMEFI's profile. Complete list of community foundations in your country or
region: Organizations That Support and Promote the Development of Community FoundationsHistory: Espiral was founded in 1992 by a group of men and women with diverse backgrounds in diverse disciplines and experience seeking to make a contribution to strengthen the organizations of civil society, together with the public and private sectors. Recent accomplishments / current challenges: Since 2002 Espiral has received funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to strengthen the four community foundations in the state of Guanajuato. We are applying an institutional advancement methodology developed by Espiral and by March 2003 will have developed a manual for community foundations. Future developments: Espiral will continue to offer programs, services, and consultancy in institutional advancement to community foundations.
Centro Mexicano Para La Filantropia, A.C. (CEMEFI)Name and Title of primary contact for WINGS-CF Address: Telephone: Fax: Email: Web Site: Community Foundations In Your Country/Region:History: As a first step in its efforts to develop community foundations in Mexico CEMEFI organized a workshop in 1994. At the workshop, Suzanne Feurt, then a program officer at the Mott Foundation, detailed the experiences community foundations in the United States and the different ways they operate. In that same year, the possibility of creating a Community Fund for Philanthropy was explored, although the project was abandoned in favor of developing many community foundations in Mexico. In 1995, CEMEFI supported the establishment of the Community Foundation of Oaxaca, at the invitation of the MacArthur Foundation. About the same time similar opportunities began to arise in different cities around Mexico. In 1998, CEMEFI helped organize the first International Meeting of Associations Serving Grantmakers (IMAG), in the city of Oaxaca. More than 50 organizations from around the world attended the meeting. IMAG later became Worldwide Initiative for Grantmaker Support (WINGS), whose sub-group, WINGS-CF, is a network of organizations that support the development and strengthening of community foundations. Also in 1998, CEMEFI decided to formally promote an organization for community foundations in Mexico. It invited its member foundations that share certain common characteristics with community foundations (Cozumel Foundation, Córdoba Fund, Chihuahua Business Foundation, San Luis 2020 Foundation, Vamos Foundation) and the new community foundations that had arisen (Oaxaca Foundation, Morelos Community Foundation, Community Foundation, Community Foundation of the Bajío Region, Community Foundation of Celaya, León Foundation) to participate in this process. To date, this group – which we call the Community Foundations Group - has achieved some consensus agreements. Despite having very diverse origins and times of birth, methodologies and development models, the established community foundations share a common vision of being organizational and institutional structures at the service of a geographically-defined community, through the professional channeling and distribution of all types of resources. The main elements that make up this vision are:
Having a board of directors that is representative of the different groups that operate in the community. Offering different service mechanisms for donors and following up on the funds donated to local organizations. Not operating projects involving direct services for the population, and Initiating the creation of a community endowment. Each of the participating institutions in this process has placed a high value on the knowledge and experience received as a result of its participation in the group and, therefore, favors its continuation. Local/national environment for charitable giving: Local attitudes: Philanthropy in Mexico is still emerging. Mexico has a strong culture of giving, but not a strong culture of organized philanthropy. There are around 20,000 organizations nationwide, but fewer than 6,000 are properly registered and have the government´s authorization to give tax deductible receipts. Among them, fewer than 80 are grantmaking foundations. The community foundation sector is young and growing rapidly. Community foundations in Mexico today are a strategic model of philanthropic action, because they provide inclusiveness of community perspectives and expectations, professionalism in resource mobilization, as well as in grantmaking and positive incidences through their actions for the benefit of the community. Legislative and legal environment: Our legal framework includes tax exemptions and tax credits for donors. Organizations must go through a complex process to obtain the authorization to give tax deductible receipts for donations and must renew this permit each year. As of today CEMEFI and other institutions are lobbying for reforms that could make it easier for organizations. Changing attitudes and the local/national
environment: The Community Foundations Group has been reflecting on the main role of community foundations in encouraging a supportive environment for philanthropy. They know that the first step is to strengthen our current community foundations and promote new ones. They have developed the following Community Foundations Group Work Plan: Work Plan Main Topics:
Context Analysis: national and regional Strategic Communications Plan, including visibility, conveying, alliances, tools Promotion of Philanthropy and Social Responsibility Culture Advocacy and Lobbying Community Building Resources and Tools Development Systematization of Experiences, Case Studies, Best Practices Exchanges and Peer Learning: national and international Endowment Building Project Promoting New Community Foundations Recent accomplishments / current challenges: One of the most important achievements has been the formation of the Group of Community Foundations that is working to strengthen each other and to support the development of civil society organizations, using all manner of resources. Today we have 20 organizations committed to working as community foundations; seven of them are still in their initial stages of development. Main activities within the process from 1998 to 2002:
International Exchanges, Meetings and Programs Formation of the group as an Affinity Group under the institutional umbrella of CEMEFI. Formation of the Group´s Consulting Committee Strategic Planning 2002-2005 Work Plan: Programs and Projects Peer Learning and Consultancy Diagnostic Process In March 2002, a diagnosis process was started in order to identify the main general tendencies of Mexican community foundations. Learning about the tendencies allows us to identify particular operational characteristics, stages of institutional development, as well as the supports required to achieve their development goals, both individually and as a sector. A tool was developed for this purpose. The results of this process were presented during the IXth National Workshop and were used as the basis for the work plan for 2002-2005. The diagnosis reveals that most of our community foundations actually lack endowment. They operate on the basis of common knowledge over objective analysis of community assets, needs and problems. Their relationships with community leaders are mostly based on personal connections and are informal. Their lack of communication plans are one reason why their visibility is low, as well as their philanthropy promotion efforts and fundraising. They have poor development in management and organizational policies and skills. They have poor technical skills for the support of NGOs. As major assets we found that most community foundations have community representation on their boards, strong commitment and ideological independence. They have built good relationships with NGOs and most do follow-up on the grants made, although this last activity is limited because their funds are too small. Many of them are working on intersectoral alliances to address major community problems. Future developments for community foundations: The analysis of the diagnosis results, along with the objectives developed by the Community Foundations Group during the strategic planning process, led to the determination of some challenges and a vision for the future, for both the group and individual community foundations: Challenges:
Local resources mobilization Identification and contact with external fundraising sources for local development. Endowment building Processes strengthening Tool development for technical and financial support Supporting community leadership for social development. Vision:
To favour a “foundation model” which can support development with all kinds of resources. To be the vanguard in Latin America in resource mobilization for social development Community foundation funders: Although the percentages and the types of funding may differ from one foundation to the next, in general, the major funders are:
Individual contibutions International foundations Government funding: Some community foundations have joined government projects, thereby gaining access to government funding, but mainly these are project funds, not grants. Community foundation profile(s): See the community foundations' websites and addresses provided in the Directory attached. Complete list of community foundations in your country or
region:
Click on "Directorio" Web Site: www.cemefi.org.mx Attached File: Organizations That Support and Promote the Development of Community FoundationsHistory: The Mexican Centre for Philanthropy (CEMEFI) was founded in 1988 by a recognized Mexican entrepreneur and philanthropist, Mr. Manuel Arango, who was concerned about the need to develop the Mexican philanthropic sector. Mr. Arango decided to initiate CEMEFI because Mexico did not have at that time a support organization to provide services to civil society organizations or help in the promotion and start-up of new ones. Since its beginning, CEMEFI has established a number of programs and has had three major strategic planning sessions (one every five years). CEMEFI's programs are:
Communication Institutional Development Community Foundations “Haces falta” (you are needed) Volunteering Promotion –website and services- Investigation in philanthropy related issues Memberships “Mira por los demás” (look out for the others) Philanthropy promotion Public policy and governmental issues Professionalization Corporate social responsibility Recent accomplishments / current challenges: Recent Achievements and Challenges: Among CEMEFI´s achievements during its 14 years of life, the following are the most relevant:
Legal counsel and lobbying for fiscal benefits achieved for civil society organizations Contribution to the professionalization of organizations in the sector Visibility for the philanthropic sector Promotion and help in the establishment of several new organizations and associations, among them: Oaxaca Community Foundation, Asociación Mexicana de Voluntarios (Mexican Association of Volunteering) and Procura, a fundraising school and support institution Creation of the first Mexican Directory of philanthropic institutions and of the first information centre specialized in philanthropy Participation in discussions about the legal framework for civil society organizations and the promotion of philanthropy Has become an international representative of the Mexican philanthropic sector and communicates with colleagues from similar institutions in other parts of the world Has become one of the main groups representing the Mexican philanthropic sector in public presentations and with Mexican government Has promoted the incorporation of philanthropy related issues in formal education; has developed courses, seminars, conferences in collaboration with Mexican universities Actively participates in research on the sector and has performed several of the main studies itself. Future developments: Future plans:
Promote in Mexico the creation of more foundations and grantmakering organizations. Promote social responsibility. Promote sector standards for institutionalization and performance. Promote transparency and public accountability among NGOs. Increase voluntary work and measure its impact. Improve sector understanding and the visibility of the work and services provided by sector organizations. Additional ResourcesInformation about your organization available online: Related Documents:
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United States
Indiana Grantmakers AllianceName and Title of primary contact for WINGS-CF Address: Telephone: Fax: Email: Web Site: Community Foundations In Your Country/Region:History: The Indianapolis Foundation, the first in the US state of Indiana was organized in 1916. In late 1990, when the Lilly Endowment launched the GIFT Initiative, there were less than a dozen active community foundations in the state with assets of approximately $100 million; $60 million of that was held by the Indianapolis Foundation. The initiative hoped to foster the growth of community foundations in Indiana. Today there are 72 community foundations and 22 separate affiliate funds with endowed assets of approximately $1.2 billion. With each of the counties served directly by a foundation or affiliate, there are no new community foundations being formed or encouraged. Local/national environment for charitable giving: Local attitudes: While every community is unique, Indiana as a whole has embraced community philanthropy, as shown not only by the rapid growth of the community foundations' assets, but also by the number of committed volunteers who have become involved. The communities have gained a renewed "sense of community" and are stronger in many ways as a result of their rallying around their community foundations. They have greater confidence and a feeling of hope, which have resulted from their successes. Legislative and legal environment: There are no special tax incentives in the state of Indiana for giving to community foundations that differ from the rest of the United States. Changing attitudes and the local/national
environment: The general understanding of what a community foundation is needs to be enhanced. There is still a lack of knowledge by most people. Recent accomplishments / current challenges: The rapid growth of the community foundations and their endowments has already been mentioned. Of interest are the Standards and Best Practices for Indiana Community Foundations, which were developed for the foundations BY the foundations themselves. Other accomplishments include the leading role most of the foundations have taken in the realm of education with the goal of improving educational attainment in their communities. Future developments for community foundations: Currently, plans are underway for a statewide donor education/communication plan to be implemented in 2003. Community foundation funders: Foundations lead the way with the Lilly Endowment in the forefront. The Endowment's support for community foundations began in 1990. Other foundations have also supported the community foundations in selected communities or regions of the state. These have been mainly in the form of challenge matching grants for unrestricted funds. There have also been substantial funds committed for programs or community projects, operated either by the community foundations or by other organizations that were identified as worthy by the community foundations. Individuals have been second only to the Lilly Endowment in their support for community foundations These have been in the form of gifts, large and small, to both restricted and unrestricted endowment. Corporations, while supportive, have not for the most part made substantial gifts to community foundations. There are a few communities that have benefited from large corporate gifts, but that is not widespread in the state. Community foundation profile(s): The foundations themselves would be in the best position to provide these stories. While they all have them, the following may be of the most interest:
Kosciusko County Community Foundation, Suzie@kcfoundation.org; Central Indiana Community Foundation, info@cicf.org; Noble County Community Foundation, www.nccf@ligtel.com; and The Community Foundation Alliance, mklenck@alliance9.org Web Site: Attached File: Organizations That Support and Promote the Development of Community FoundationsHistory: In 1983 the then Lieutenant Governor of the state convened a group of grantmakers to discuss common concerns. This group became the Indiana Donors Alliance (as it was then called). By 1985 the Donors Alliance had appointed a liaison to the Regional Association of Grantmakers (RAG) committee and became active in sponsoring workshops. In 1989 a full time director was hired. In 1990 Lilly Endowment Inc. announced the first of what grew to be five challenge grant initiatives (GIFT) to help start and strengthen Indiana community foundations. This initiative included: challenge grants, direct grants for projects and technical assistance. The technical assistance component of this Initiative was awarded to the Indiana Donors Alliance. Today the organization is called the Indiana Grantmakers Alliance and is the membership organization for all grantmakers in Indiana. The technical assistance portion of GIFT is still housed with the Alliance, providing the tools and resources the community foundations need to be successful. In 1990, there were approximately 11 functioning community foundations operating in Indiana. These foundations held assets of approximately $100 million USD. By early 1999 each county was served directly by a foundation or affiliate fund, bringing the total number of separate community foundations and county affiliate funds to 94. In 1999 they held endowments totaling almost $700 million. Today these same organizations now have assets exceeding $1.2 billion. The Indiana Grantmakers Alliance, through GIFT technical assistance, continues to provide workshops, resources, and on-site, foundation-specific help to the field of Indiana community foundations. Recent accomplishments / current challenges: Recently we have offered a series of workshops for the community foundations covering state and federal law on employment practices and produced a prototype personnel handbook, which each foundation in Indiana can personalize assuring legal compliance. Another series of workshops provided the community foundations with tools and resources in the form of a "tool kit." It contained: sample press releases, brochures, invitations letters, and other helpful, practical tips to reach out to specific markets. These markets are: farmers, women, corporations and professional advisors. Future developments: Plans to promote community foundations statewide with a donor education/communications plan. Plans to develop a method for the foundations to report compliance with the State Standards and Best Practices, with the opportunity for specific assistance in those areas where they do not comply.
Council on FoundationsName and Title of primary contact for WINGS-CF Address: Telephone: Fax: Email: Web Site: Community Foundations In Your Country/Region:History: As the community foundation movement has grown in size and importance, researchers around the world have been able to identify a number of community foundation-like organizations, dating back as early as the twelfth century. For the most part these organizations were formed to meet the needs of communities shaped by a common religion. The modern development of community foundations was sparked in 1914 by the creation of The Cleveland Foundation, in Cleveland, Ohio, the first community foundation in the United States.¹ Frederick H. Goff, a local banker, had the deceptively simple idea to consolidate a number of charitable trusts overseen by the trust banks into a single organization. This organization, a community foundation, would focus its grantmaking in a defined geographical area to meet the needs of all the people. The community foundation would exist in perpetuity and be governed by a local board of citizens. The growth of community foundations began to take off after the Tax Reform Act of 1969, which gave community foundations the preferred tax status of public charities. Community foundation growth was further enhanced in the 1980s by the retreat of the federal government from funding social programs, and in the 1990s by the booming economy and the beginnings of the intergenerational transfer of wealth from the World War II generation to their heirs and philanthropic institutions. Community foundations in the last two decades have also increasingly focused their development efforts on living donors through donor-advised giving programs. Donor-advised funds allow donors more direct participation in their philanthropy, which donors value. The largest donations to community foundations still come from bequests, but increasing the number of donors through the use donor-advised funds has furthered the culture of philanthropy in the community and allowed community foundations to grow more quickly. Growth in the numbers of community foundations also has benefited in certain parts of the country from the direct support of national and regional private foundations. The growth in the state of Indiana was particularly dramatic under the influence of the Lilly Endowment's Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) grant program, where the number of community foundations in the state grew from a handful of community foundations to approximately 90 community foundations and affiliate funds. See the profile supplied by the Indiana Grantmakers Alliance. The 2001 Columbus Foundation Survey identified 658 community foundations in the U.S. It is safe to say that the number of community foundations is nearly 700. Combined assets in 2001 totaled $31.4 billion USD. Community foundations received $3.5 billion USD in gifts and made total grants of nearly $2.6 billion. Even though assets and gifts were slightly down due to poor economic conditions and declines in the stock market, grants rose by 18 percent from the previous year. ¹For a fuller description of the history of community foundation developments in the U.S., see the "Growth of Community Foundations Around the World" report available on the WINGS-CF website, www.wingsweb.org Local/national environment for charitable giving: Local attitudes: Even though the United States has had large social welfare programs beginning with the Great Depression of the 1930s, it has never been a social welfare state. From its earliest days, citizens of the United States have been accustomed to seeing to the needs of their families and their communities. Local giving has taken place through houses of worship and through direct contributions to nonprofit organizations for the services they provide and the causes they represent. More recently, philanthropically-minded individuals have found that giving through community foundations is an effective way to provide for their community's needs now and into the future. Legislative and legal environment: The tax, legislative and legal environments in the United States are highly supportive of charitable giving. Community foundations have the preferred tax status of public charities, which means they are not subject to the taxation that falls on private foundations. Donations to community foundations receive the highest tax deductions allowable under the law. Recent accomplishments / current challenges: Community foundations in the U.S. are faced with challenges from competitors caused by the success of the community foundation model. Financial institutions, institutions of higher learning, and other nonprofits have discovered that donor-advised funds are a way to increase charitable giving to their organizations. The commercial charitable gift funds, such as those run by Fidelity Investments and Vanguard, have been aggressively marketing their donor-advised products. The challenge for community foundations is to market their value-added services to donors. Community foundations' expertise in grantmaking and knowledge of the local nonprofit sector means they can offer services tailored to donors, services that connect donors to the causes they care about in their communities and increase the impact of their philanthropy. Community foundation funders: Donations to community foundations in the United States come overwhelmingly from individuals. Some contributions come from local and national private foundations and from family foundations. Very little funding comes from corporations and governments. Complete list of community foundations in your country or
region: The Council on Foundations lists the addresses of U.S. community foundations by geographic area at: http://www.communityfoundationlocator.org/search/index.cfm The annual survey of community foundation assets, gifts to community foundations and grants made, conducted by the Columbus Foundation, is available at: http://www.columbusfoundation.org/popup/frameset.asp?year=2001 Organizations That Support and Promote the Development of Community FoundationsHistory: The United States is well served by organizations that support the development of community foundations. The Council on Foundations is the national membership organization for all grantmaking foundations in the U.S. Its Community Foundation Services group addresses the needs of member community foundations. The Council's annual conference for community foundations regularly attracts between 1200 and 1300 community foundation practitioners from the U.S. and around the world. In addition to Community Foundation Services, the Council's International Programs group serves the international interests of U.S. community foundations. Community Foundations of America was formed in 1999 by a group of the larger community foundations to conduct research and develop products and services, especially in the area of technology. There are numerous regional associations of grantmakers (RAGs), some of which have programs specifically tailored for community foundations in their areas. These include the Council of Michigan Foundations,² the Indiana Grantmakers Alliance, the Ohio Grantmakers Forum, and the Southeastern Council on Foundations. Statewide associations for community foundations have also been created, including ones in Pennsylvania, California, and North Carolina. In some areas community foundations in a region will coalesce around common issues, such as the environment or shared grantmaking. The U.S. is also home to a large number of national funders that have recognized the ability of the community foundation model to address local issues. National funders that are currently active include the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Lilly Endowment, Ford Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, David and Lucille Packard Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the James Irvine Foundation.
²See the WINGS-CF Case Study of CMF Recent accomplishments / current challenges: Under the leadership of the Council on Foundations the U.S. community foundation field developed the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations, which were adopted by the field in 2000. The community foundation field, led by its Standards Committee, is currently undertaking a major project to identify effective practices to help community foundations meet and preferably exceed those standards. Committees composed of community foundation members of the Council are also creating agendas, products and programs for the field in the areas of: professional and organizational development, legislative advocacy, marketing, technology, and community impact through grantmaking.
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Anguilla, BWI
Anguilla Community FoundationName and Title of primary contact for WINGS-CF Address: Telephone: Fax: Email: Web Site: Community Foundations In Your Country/Region:History: The Anguilla Community Foundation was formed in Anguilla, British West Indies, in May 1999. The community foundation was created by a local steering committee headed up by the former executive director of the Philadelphia Foundation in the United States, who now lives on the island. She has since become the executive director of the foundation. The island of Anguilla, officially a British protectorate with a high degree of self-rule, has a very small population of approximately 10,000 people. Its per capita income is low and it relies on tourism and fishing as its major industries. The Social Security Board has served as an incubator for the foundation. It gave the Anguilla Community Foundation approximately $75,000 towards building its endowment. The Anguilla Progressive Association in New York also serves as a fiscal agent, with U.S. charitable status, so that donors in the U.S. can receive charitable deductions for their donations. Due to the poverty on the island, the Anguilla Community Foundation is building on a local tradition of philanthropy, known by the island term as "jollification." The concept is one of neighbors helping neighbors through donations of their time and talents. The foundation has been able to attract donations from the wealthy people who vacation on the island year after year, but also is seeking smaller donations from island citizens to make certain the foundation becomes deeply rooted in the local culture of giving. With the assistance of the head of the Southeastern Council on Foundations in the U.S., the Anguilla Community Foundation recently designed a new asset development plan that shifts endowment building to a later stage of development. It focuses instead on "strategic jollification," the term it has chosen for an annual fund-raising effort across the island to support a small grants program. The Anguilla Community Foundation has been active in international networks and has received assistance from a number of community foundations in the U.S. and Caribbean. In return the foundation's president has been discussing the community foundation concept with others on the neighboring islands of Barbados and Bermuda. Community foundation profile(s): See the article, "Letter from Anguilla: 'Jollification,' Foundation-style," in the November/December 2000 issue (Vol. 41, No. 5) of Foundation News and Commentary: http://www.foundationnews.org/CME/article.cfm?ID=84
Academy for the Development of Philanthropy in PolandName and Title of primary contact for WINGS-CF Address: Telephone: Fax: Email: Web Site:
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Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Community FoundationName and Title of primary contact for WINGS-CF Address: Telephone: Fax: Email: Web Site: Community Foundations In Your Country/Region:History: Puerto Rico is linked to the United States through its commonwealth status, which gives it autonomy in local governance and makes its inhabitants eligible for the benefits of U.S. citizenship. The Puerto Rico Community Foundation was formed in 1985 by a group of local leaders, and with the support of the National Puerto Rican Coalition and major U.S. private foundations, including the Ford, Rockefeller, MacArthur and C.S. Mott foundations, and the Carnegie Corporation. Up until that time, the island had received little support from mainland foundations or from the business community. In particular, it was felt that the corporations, which had established manufacturing plants on the island under a U.S. government program that eliminated business taxes, were not contributing their fair share. The Ford Foundation commissioned a feasibility study, which recommended a two-part development strategy for the PRCF. The first step was to establish a high quality, professionally managed philanthropic organization - the community foundation - with the support of mainland foundations. Once that had been accomplished, the PRCF would be able to make a credible approach to the corporations and provide them with a way to give back to the island. At the time the community foundation was conceived, the economy in Puerto Rico was in recession and many of its citizens were leaving the island to pursue jobs on the mainland. The Puerto Rico Community Foundation was structured so as to have high community impact. Seeded with money from the mainland foundations and 11 major corporations with operations on the island, the PRCF decided to undertake immediately a large grantmaking program that would make it known throughout the island. Local/national environment for charitable giving: Legislative and legal environment: Tax laws in Puerto Rico do not provide significant benefits for charitable giving. Yet individual Puerto Ricans are willing to give to programs and initiatives that will generate significant change for the future. Recent accomplishments / current challenges: PCRF has been highly successful in attracting external funds in the form of government grants, foundation grants, and corporate funding. The foundation now is focusing on building support from local individuals and strengthening local philanthropy. The PRCF offers donors the same broad range of giving options as most U.S. community foundations. Two strategies it has chosen to emphasize are family funds and "Stars" funds for individuals of high achievements. Interest in the success of the Puerto Rico Community Foundation is high. The foundation's CEO is often called upon to speak at research meetings about the lessons learned from the Puerto Rico experience. The foundation is also actively involved in spreading the community foundation concept and has mentored other community foundations in the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa. Community foundation profile(s): See the talk given by Dr. Colon on the Puerto Rico Community Foundation at Harvard University's David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at: http://drclas.fas.harvard.edu/publications/revista/Volunteering/colon.html Also see the profiles of the PRCF in the Synergos Institute's
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US Virgin Islands
Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands; St Croix Foundation for Community Development; St. John Community FoundationName and Title of primary contact for WINGS-CF Address: Telephone: Fax: Email: Web Site: Community Foundations In Your Country/Region:History: There are three community foundations in the three U.S. Virgin Islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix. St. Thomas: The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI), based on St. Thomas, was established in 1990 with an endowment of $500,000. Its assets today have grown to nearly $2 million USD. CFVI distributes grants, awards and scholarships equally across the three islands. In 2002 CFVI distributed over $250,000 to improve the quality of life for the people of the Virgin Islands.
St. Croix: The St. Croix Foundation for Community Development was established in 1990 to foster economic and social development on St. Croix. In 1991, the foundation, together with the National Civic League, held a Healthy Communities Conference that identified the community's needs and built a consensus that economic need is a root cause of many of the community's ills. As a result, the foundation decided to make economic development a priority. The St. Croix Foundation has been a leader in the redevelopment of St. Croix, by focusing on entrepreneurial education, business financing, youth development and community revitalization. The foundation also serves as a fiduciary for a number of smaller nonprofits on the island.
St. John: A smaller community foundation exists on the island of St. John. The St. John Community Foundation makes grants to community organizations to strengthen community ties on the island. Complete list of community foundations in your country or
region: Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands Dee Baecher-Brown, Executive Director P.O. Box 11790 Tel: +1-340-774-6031 E-mail: dbrowncfvi@attglobal.net St. Croix Foundation for Community Development Roger Dewey, Executive Director Address: P.O. Box 1128, Suite 202, Chandler's Wharf Tel: +1-340-773-9898 E-mail: stxfound@att.net St. John Community Foundation Mary Blazine, Executive Director Address: P.O. Box 1020 Tel: +1-340-693-9410
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