---

Community Foundations Defined

Community Foundations are tax-exempt public charities organized and operated as a permanent collection of endowed funds for the long-term benefit of a defined geographic area. They are designated “public charities” rather than “private foundations” by the IRS because they raise a significant portion of their resources from a broad cross-section of the public each year. Donors to community foundations are from diverse backgrounds with a common commitment to their communities’ well-being. Each community foundation has its own character, but they all share common traits:

• a mission to enrich the quality of life in a defined geographic area;
• service to three primary constituencies:
• donors--as a partner for giving and a resource for information about local needs;
• charitable organizations--as a source of grants and technical assistance, and as a guardian of nonprofit endowments;
• the community at large--as a force committed to helping their communities thrive over the long term.
• a focus on building permanent endowment with as few restrictions as possible an independent local volunteer governing body that knows about and generally represents the community; and
• accountability to the public and an openness to its broad participation.

Of the more than 700 community foundations in the country, 18 of them are located in Connecticut. Some cover geographic regions with multiple communities and others support one community. Middlesex County Community Foundation is the only Community Foundation serving the towns of Middlesex County.

Community Foundations offer:

• Personalized service by helping individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofit agencies achieve their charitable and financial goals by providing tools and resources that make giving easy, flexible, and effective.
• Local expertise by developing in-depth understanding of the community's challenges and the groups and individuals addressing them.
• Community leadership by playing a key role in addressing community needs, now and in the future.