John Foschi is the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation’s newest financial officer.

Foschi brings more than 25 years of finance experience to the Community Foundation, most recently as comptroller for the Fond du Lac Reservation. Prior to that, Foschi worked as the city administrator and finance director for Proctor and comptroller for Grandma’s corporate offices.

The Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice awards more than $2 million to local nonprofit organizations

Looking to encourage growth and education while highlighting the positive aspects of its community, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice has awarded more than $2 million in grants to 25 local nonprofit organizations.

The organizations, which work in various different fields throughout the community including arts and culture, education, and environmental services, were each given a portion of $2.1 million in grants, the largest total amount of funding ever awarded by the Foundation in a single grant cycle.

When George Creel was getting ready to retire 12 years ago, he and his wife decided to invest in charities, but knew they didn't have the $5 million it takes to start a private foundation. Their financial adviser suggested a community foundation, where the cost to set up a fund is affordable.

Creel read about the Maryland-based National Catholic Community Foundation in The Catholic Review, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and he knew he found the right place to start his philanthropy. It took $10,000 to set up a donor-advised fund with the foundation.

This means the Creels, of Davidsonville, Md., can tell the foundation which charities they would like to invest in. Unlike other funds, theirs is not bound by geography.

There was so much interest in last month’s post of 90 Foundations That Tweet that I wanted to expand on it by sharing a list of funder networks on Twitter.

What is a Funder Network?

According to the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers:

Funder networks consist of grantmakers organized around a specific funding issue, geographic location, or identity-based community that come together to build their skills, capacity, and impact.

Funds from this grant will cover most of the construction material and labor costs necessary to renovate existing space in our building into a new training classroom, said Ted Van Name, president and CEO of Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County. We urgently need more classroom space and this grant from the Delaware Community Foundation will make that possible, added Van Name.

The Delaware Community Foundation manages charitable funds for individuals, families, businesses and organizations, and distributes income from the funds as grants to humanitarian, educational, health and cultural entities throughout Delaware.

For 88 years, Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware Countys mission has been to improve the quality of life for individuals with barriers to employment through vocational services and work opportunities and has been supported by proceeds from retail sales and donations. Last year alone, Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County provided over 6,900 services to individuals throughout the region.

Sometimes a little can go a long way. Like the endowment left to a local community foundation by a Danville author who passed away in 2007.

Richard Brown, author of the book, “The History of Danville and Boyle County,” died in December 2007. But he left behind some money for the Wilderness Trace Community Foundation, money that the foundation expects will be helping area communities for a long time to come.

Paul Elwyn, with Wilderness Trace, said the money Brown left behind was put into an endowment in his name. The endowment is invested, and the return on investment is used partly to fund grants and partly to grow the endowment for future grants.

Established in 1987, the Coastal Community Foundation is a resource and service for the north coastal communities, including Carmel Valley, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, La Costa, Carlsbad and Oceanside.

Through the power of endowments and grant making, donors personalize giving in a way that meets their needs and desires. The Foundation staff and board help connect donors to causes they care about the most. Individuals are ensured that their donation will continue to work to make their communities better and stronger in perpetuity.

The mission of the Coastal Community Foundation is to enhance the quality of life in the north coast by helping donors achieve their current and long-term charitable goals, helping professional advisors aid their clients and helping nonprofits support their programs and services.

The Trustees of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts recently announced $511,500 in competitive grant awards to area organizations.

Fifty-five Pioneer Valley projects will receive this funding with awards ranging from $1,000 to $25,000. The Community Foundation awards competitive grants twice each year, allocating funds to nonprofit organizations for projects addressing community needs, including arts and culture, education, environment, health, housing and human services for Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties.

Cash-strapped Ballina Shire community organisations take note: the Northern Rivers Community Foundation (NRCF)in New South Wales has just announced its 2009 Grants Round, and is inviting applications.

The Chairman of the NRCF’s Grants Committee, George Lewin, said he was pleased to report that this year the NRCF had something like $24,000 to distribute to worthwhile projects.

Bainbridge Schools Foundation was among this year’s biggest winners of grants from the Bainbridge Community Foundation and its partners.

It won $8,000, and will use the money to fund salaries of remedial-reading teachers in Bainbridge Island public schools, according to a statement from the Bainbridge Community Foundation.

That grant was among 24 Bainbridge Community Foundation grants totaling $91,700 given to nonprofit groups that provide essential services.