At a time when conflict often overshadows collaboration and hinders progress, community foundations serve a unifying purpose. They possess the unique ability to mobilize generosity and financial resources, to build and activate networks of people, to provide an enduring safe harbor during times of uncertainty, and to celebrate and leverage differing experiences – all with the aim of solving critical community challenges.
Community foundations are a vehicle that anyone can use to turn their generosity into a powerful force for good.
As nonpartisan public charities, community foundations, like ours here in Rhode Island, accept charitable gifts of all shapes and sizes, invest those gifts in financial markets so that they grow over time, and use a responsible portion of the proceeds from those invested charitable dollars each year to make grants, provide scholarships, and support organizations and efforts focused on strengthening our communities and enhancing the quality of life in our state. The design is intended to provide a permanent source of funding to help improve the lives of all Rhode Islanders now and for generations to come.