The Foundation is a permanent source of funds that our Jewish community relies on year after year. A Foundation gift helps build our endowment, which generates interest that we invest in our children, older adults, families, the needy and our community. By making a gift to the Foundation, you ensure the continued vitality of our Jewish community for today and for all generations to come.

The first responsibility of a planned gift is to satisfy the needs of the creator, you. Planned giving, as an integral part of an effective estate plan, can help you increase our annual income; avoid Federal and State taxes including capital gains, gift, income and estate taxes; receive an immediate charitable deduction; take care of your children and other heirs, and make large gifts to your favorite charities.

The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF) and the Regional Affiliate Foundations of Doddridge, Ritchie, Jackson, Mason Counties and the Little Kanawha Area (Wirt/Calhoun) is currently accepting applications for grants for the fall cycle of its Community Action Grant Program.

Applications must be postmarked by Sept. To be eligible for a grant from the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, either the applicant or program to be funded must be located in the Foundation's 11 county geographic service area Wood, Wirt, Doddridge, Ritchie, Pleasants, Roane, Calhoun, Gilmer, Jackson and Mason counties in West Virginia and Washington County, Ohio.

Affordable housing first in four major funding initiatives

MARIN COUNTY - After close to two years of strategic planning, the Marin Community Foundation commenced July 1 a completely redesigned funding model, shifting for the first time a majority of discretionary dollars to original projects jointly created by the organization in four primary focus areas.

The plan will begin this month with the purchase of about 20 foreclosed properties that will eventually be transformed into green affordable housing.

“We started this strategic planning with the goal of finding the best way to have the greatest impact. After input from many, many people in the community, we decided that meant better focusing our resources, which did call for some tough decisions,” said foundation President Thomas Peters.

“Projects were created through a more interactive process, through work with past partners but focused on new projects influenced by community input and decided upon by the foundation’s trustees.”

About 60 percent of the funds $25 million in annual discretionary spending will go to new projects in the four specific areas including affordable housing, carbon footprint reduction, lowering poverty and increasing educational achievement.

The remaining budget will be distributed through community grants focused on efforts in arts education, engaging the public in the arts, increasing access to open space for low-income residents, integrating immigrants into the community, improving health, services for seniors, protecting Marins ecosystem and fostering social justice.

The organization also distributes another $25 million to $30 million annually from about 300 families that goes directly to groups and projects of the donors choosing.

The first project for this years discretionary funding will transform bank-owned properties into affordable housing with about 80 percent less energy use.

NorthBay Family Homes President and Chief Executive Officer Clark Blasdell, who is helping to coordinate the effort with the foundation, said his organization has been tracking about 200 homes for possible purchase during the last year and will begin the transactions this month.

Each home will then go through a four- to six-week evaluation, where those needing the most work will be transferred to Habitat for Humanity families, who are required to spend at least 500 hours working on the home. Families between two and five members with wages of about 60 to 80 percent of the areas median income will be eligible for the housing.

Other organizations involved in the housing piece include the Greenbelt Alliance, the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California, the Marin Housing Authority and County Supervisor Steve Kinsey.

The foreclosed home project is part of several planned under the $10-million, five-year affordable housing initiative.

I would like to thank the Buck Foundation for the many years of support it has shown to our community and schools.

I had the privilege of being the recipient of these funds indirectly several times throughout my career in Vacaville. Most recently, my fifth-graders at Callison Elementary School were dazzled by the presentation from Ancient Artifacts on the Revolutionary War. This was made possible through a grant from the Solano Community Foundation, which received much of its support from the Buck Foundation.

As an educator and community member, I truly appreciate all the Buck Foundation has given. It has left quite a legacy.

The Wichita Community Foundation is moving from its space at the Garvey Center, but it’s not leaving downtown.

The foundation, which promotes charitable giving, is moving to 2,600 square feet on the first floor of the Epic Center.

“The big issue with us is it’s more visibility,” says Rob Allison, president and CEO.

And it’s visibility in a building with a lot of professionals — particularly lawyers and accountants whose clients are the type of people likely to support the foundation.

Philanthropists and artists invited by the Community Foundation for Monterey County have convened to discuss the necessity of funding for local arts, and how the arts benefit our community.

I am surrounded by gifted musicians, CEOs of grand arts organizations and leaders from the Peninsula communities, who are all familiar with the fancy cheeses on the elegantly staged table. I'm wearing shoes from The Western Stage's costume shop because I had none better of my own, and the unfamiliarity of my current environment feels intimidating.

But I am on a mission: To tell these affluent supporters of the arts my own story of how The Western Stage at Hartnell College has changed my life. I was shocked that every kid I knew wasn't already enrolled.

"Immediately I signed up for the next summer program, and worked 9 to 5, five days a week. It instilled meaning and confidence into the shy child I once was, and I never felt happier.

"I continued on for years, until eventually I came to a point in my life where I had to focus on my schoolwork.

"Finally, years later, I ran over to The Western Stage and said I needed to be a part of the company in some way. It was a success, and I hope by sharing some of the good roles The Western Stage has played in my life, they saw how much good the company can do in our community as a whole.

While financial support from these wonderful people is extremely important, nothing outweighs the support from our community. John of The Western Stage in Salinas.

The Effingham County Community Foundation and Mattoon Area Community Foundation have forged an alliance that will extend philanthropic opportunities for southeastern Illinois.

The resulting organization, Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation, will provide administrative and technical assistance to its local member community foundations (initially Effingham County Community Foundation and Mattoon Area Community Foundation).

Joedy Hightower, president/CEO of the foundation, said, “Across the country, these community foundation partnerships have proven to be an effective way for communities to support local charities without taking on the cost and administrative burden of managing an endowment. The member foundations retain their own identities, but have access to the professional staff, fund management and investment expertise of the umbrella foundation. This results in reduced administrative expenses for the local foundations.”

The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA) is pleased to announce $442,000 in grant funding to 20 Southern Arizona nonprofit organizations including $50,000 for technical support to strengthen the nonprofit sector. >> View list of grantees

The Community Foundation is supporting effective nonprofits through grants and technical assistance in creating visible, positive impacts for populations most impacted by the economic crisis:

Victims of abuse and domestic violence - $100,000
Increasingly vulnerable populations - $100,000
Populations needing financial empowerment - $125,000
Nonprofits needing additional capacity and technical assistance - $117,000
Extensive community research and data provided by 176 nonprofits revealed these four impact areas for this years focus.

Information on a variety of nonprofits is also available to CFSA fund holders.

The Communities Foundation of Texas recently embarked on a campaign to launch DonorBridge, a portal that provides both its donors (Donor Advised Fund holders) and the greater community of Dallas a resource with which they could make informed decisions on whom to volunteer with, support, donate to or simply learn more about. CFT has always been a leading community foundation, but in my eyes, this groundbreaking initiative has propelled them into the “visionary” category. They are taking a leading role in fostering philanthropy in their community, at a time when it needs it most.

To encourage donations, Communities Foundation of Texas, with support from The Dallas Foundation, designated a total of $300,000 in matching funds for contributions made through DonorBridge to participating nonprofit organizations on that day.

All in all, Dallas Giving Day raised over $4 million dollars for Dallas based charities. For example, CFT brought in 50 to 100 nonprofits from Dallas and shared with them the vision of the matched gifts (up to $300,000) program on Dallas Giving Day and allowed them to reach out to their donors.

Financial success stories aren't common these days.

But Randy Maiers, president and chief executive officer of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, said donations this year are up 200% -- to $210,000 -- when compared to the same period in 2008, which he called a rough year.

"You really can't underestimate people's generosity even in bad times," Maiers said.

The biggest chunk came during the Community Foundation's Match Day earlier this month. "As much as we really needed it financially, it meant as much to us emotionally to know that many people and the foundation were behind us when we needed them."