A community foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization that has been created by and for the people of a community to help donors do good work. Since the first community foundation was founded in 1914, community foundations have helped strengthen communities. The real power of a community foundation is its capacity to help foster community-to bring people together around a common mission.
The Saint Paul Foundation is one of more than 600 community foundations that receives contributions from individuals and organizations and makes grants to meet current and emerging community needs.
Grants from the Foundation's permanent funds are made through a formal grant application process and are approved by the Foundation's Board of Directors three times a year. Grants from donor advised funds may be made at any time.
Community foundations help preserve the charitable spirit of donors' gifts, even as specific purposes change over time, due to the permanence and flexibility of funds they manage. This flexibility to adapt to future societal needs is unique to community foundations.
Established as public charities, community foundations operate as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and are publicly accountable. And gifts are tax-deductible.
Community Leadership Because The Saint Paul Foundation is actively involved in grantmaking, we are constantly monitoring local community needs. We play a unique role in convening community discussion around areas of need and encouraging and participating in community initiatives and partnerships to address these needs.
Flexible Support The flexibility built into the community foundation concept is clear when you look at our history. Money that came from Foundation donors 30 to 40 years ago is now being used to help address problems that became community issues only more recently, such as affordable housing, minority education, children's literacy and battered women.
