WHAT IS THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION of Southeastern North Carolina (CFSENC)?
A public foundation through which donors from throughout the community provide dollars for grantmaking, now and in the future. CFSENC donors and grantees live primarily in five counties—New Hanover, Pender, Brunswick, Columbus, and Bladen counties.

IS CFSENC A "CHARITY"?
Yes. CFSENC is a charitable organization under the tax code and invites public support of its operating costs. However, our primary role is to encourage and administer philanthropy to benefit effective programming and projects throughout the community. People give through CFSENC to the community.

WHAT IS AN ENDOWMENT?
Endowments are created when a gift is made one year, invested, and the income earned is used in future years for grantmaking and to continually build the fund. Donors realize a tax benefit the year the gift is made.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CFSENC AND THE UNITED WAY?
United Way provides essential assistance and dollars for current needs of human service organizations, while CFSENC works with donors to provide long-term support for any charitable purpose, including the arts, education and the environment. The two organizations cooperate to address community needs and opportunities.

WHY ESTABLISH A FUND WITH TCF INSTEAD OF GIVING DIRECTLY TO A FAVORITE CHARITY?
If a donor wants broader oversight and long-term benefits for a charity or a cause, he or she may set up an endowment at CFSENC managed to benefit one or more specific charities or charitable causes, forever.

WHAT DOES CFSENC CHARGE?
CFSENC provides a variety of administrative services to donors, including investment management, gift acceptance and receipt, and filing of tax and legal documents. The annual fee for endowments is 1% of the fund's value, or a minimum of $250. (The rate is lower for endowments larger than $1 million.)

IS CFSENC SET UP TO SERVE ONLY WEALTHY PEOPLE?
No. Anyone can be a philanthropist by making a donation of $100 or more to their favorite CFSENC grantmaking fund. There are multiple funds to choose from. Also, separate, named funds of $5,000 or more can be built over time.

HOW DOES CFSENC DECIDE WHOM TO GIVE TO AND WHEN?
The Community Foundation accepts grant proposals on an annual basis from 501C-3 organizations approved by the IRS that provide services in New Hanover, Pender, Brunswick, Columbus, and Bladen counties.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS?
Community foundations make up one of the fastest growing sectors of philanthropy in the United States today. They build and strengthen communities by making it possible for a wide range of donors to create permanent, named component funds to meet critical needs. Community foundations, through philanthropy that is visionary, diverse and inclusive, have become catalysts for improvement within urban centers and in rural settings.

There are more than 700 community foundations in the United States, 542 of which are members of the Council on Foundations. More than 260 community foundations in the United States recently earned the National Standards Seal from the Council on Foundations for attaining the highest standards for grantmaking integrity and accountability. The National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations were launched by the Council in 2001. The community foundation model has spread throughout the world, including the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, Canada and Mexico, Eastern and Western Europe, Russia and the former Soviet Republics and is rapidly expanding across Africa. The 2005 Community Foundation Global Status Report, published by Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS), estimates that there are at least 1,175 community foundations in 46 countries outside the United States, with at least another 154 in development around the world.

Community foundations in the United States hold approximately $44.8 billion in assets and are located throughout the country. In 2005, community foundations gave $3.2 billion to a wide variety of nonprofit activities, including urban affairs, the arts, education, environmental projects, health and disaster relief.

Community foundations offer donors many services and benefits. They routinely work with families, individuals, attorneys and estate and financial planners to design gift plans that fit every economic situation, ensuring that donors receive the most benefit from their charitable contributions and that their philanthropic dollars are used to the fullest extent.

Community foundations received an estimated $5.6-billion in 2005, a 34-percent increase over the previous year’s $4.2-billion total. They accept gifts of various sizes and types from private citizens, corporations, government agencies and other foundations. Nearly every type of gift—including real estate, closely held stock and artwork—can be contributed to a community foundation. Gifts are made from bequests and by living donors through various types of funds and deferred giving vehicles.

Community foundations range in size from the largest community foundation, the Tulsa Community Foundation, with assets totaling more than $2.3 billion, to some with assets of $100,000 or less. The funds are invested in diverse portfolios and sound investment management is a major aspect of community foundations’ work.

All share the common goal of serving donors, nonprofit organizations and the community as a whole. In addition, one of a community foundation’s special functions is to evaluate and help coordinate the needs and services in its communities, so that charitable gifts are used effectively to fulfill a community’s most critical needs.