Foundation

The Foundation for Community Partnerships was established by the Queen Anne's County Community Partnerships for Children and Families, one of Maryland’s twenty-four Local Management Boards (LMB). Most of the funding for LMB operations and the programs that it funds comes, in one form or another, from Federal and State governments or private grants. In Queen Anne's County the LMB is aligned with County government and is treated the same as other County departments. While the County provides our LMB with extensive in-kind support, the majority of the funds in the LMB budget come from revenue sources other than County taxes. LMB staff and Board members developed a plan to attract additional funding sources to support the vital programs and services provided by the LMB.

The Foundation for Community Partnerships, Inc. is a non-profit, philanthropic community organization serving the people of the Chesapeake Bay region. The Foundation was formed on the belief that successful and strong communities thrive on collaboration and that the unique environment developed by these collective activities results in a cohesive and caring community for all its citizens. The Foundation evolved from the strong desire of organizations and citizens to work together with a mission to strengthen and preserve children, families and community.

The Foundation offers personalized service, local expertise and community leadership. The Foundation awards grants to advance charitable efforts, identifies today’s and tomorrow’s needs, stimulates resources to address those needs, and helps the community prepare for future challenges by creating lasting legacies. Our purpose is to provide a uniquely efficient and cost-effective framework for individuals, families, groups and businesses to financially support non-profit organizations as well as their communities.

A 501(c)(3) non-profit community foundation was formed to take donations from willing contributors and to expand the potential funding options to include foundations, Federal Government grants, individual contributions, corporate sponsors, etc. Donations to the new entity would not be considered part of County Government as some viewed money that went to the LMB. Additionally, many foundations stipulate that their donations be made to 501(c)(3) organizations.

The main benefits of community foundations are:

1) Community foundations are tax-exempt public charitable organizations created by and for the people of a specific geographic region. A community foundation is composed primarily of permanent funds endowed by many separate donors or organizations. Funds are managed collectively and professionally, and are dispersed to serve the needs of the local community or a specific cause or organization that is specified by the donor.

2) Community foundations enable people with philanthropic interests to easily and effectively support the issues they care about and provide a single source where a potential donor may make contributions to the community. Donors may be as specific as they want regarding the use of their contribution. They may leave their contribution at the discretion of the Board or they may designate one specific area (e.g. after school programs, programs to support the elderly, mental health, the environment, etc.) and set up a fund for that purpose. The Foundation/LMB staff are available to work with the donors to help them direct their funding to areas in the community that need help and do not have many resources. This structure ensures that funds are of the largest possible benefit to the community while avoiding potential duplication.

3) Many charitable groups who are interested in providing a service to the community want to spend their time in the community. They do not have the time, energy, experience, and knowledge necessary to run their own official non-profit organization. The Foundation allows them to set up a fund where people can make donations, get the tax benefit, and be assured that their funds are going to a specified organization. With the foundation in place, people may direct more of their energy to providing vital services and spend less time and money on administrative issues.

4) Community foundations receive funds from the Federal Government, other foundations, individual donors, corporations, and from interest earned on investments.

The LMB received approval from the County Commissioners to implement the strategy utilizing LMB funds to establish a separate 501(c)(3) organization which became the Foundation for Community Partnerships, Inc. The IRS granted non-profit status to the Foundation on October 12, 2004. The Foundation formed its own independent Board of Directors and began soliciting grants and establishing donor-advised funds in December 2004.

If you would like to start a fund or would like more information about the Foundation for Community Partnerships, Inc. please visit their website or call (410) 758-6677 and ask to speak to Linda Kohler or Michael Clark.