A new way to make things happen in Fort Scott is now in place.
In August 2007, the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation was launched. Not competing with any other fundraising efforts, the Fort Scott Community Foundation provides a tax-exempt vehicle for charitable gifts to be made to the groups and governmental agencies of the donor’s choice.
Table of Contents
FSACF Basics
The Fort Scott Area Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization through its affiliation with the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas. Operating under CFSEK’s umbrella provides access to legal and financial professionals and experienced staff.
The Foundation works directly with donors to support their personal goals. Donors can be individuals, families, or corporations or other organizations that want to make a difference in our community. It also provides support to local nonprofit organizations through the awarding of grants.
Giving Options at FSACF
Giving to and through the Foundation allows a donor to support community needs. Aileen Pollock, Board vice-chairperson, explains, “Gifts can be one of two types: endowed or nonpermanent. Endowed gifts go into a permanent fund with only a fixed percentage of the fund awarded as grants each year. The goal of this type of fund is to meet the needs of the community both now and in the future. Nonpermanent gifts are placed into a pass-through fund. The entire fund is available at any time for immediate granting in accordance with the donors’ wishes.”
According to Pollock, donors also have the ability to establish their own “named” funds through the Foundation. Named Fund options are the following:
- Unrestricted funds give the Foundation the ability to make grants in the name of the donor that address the needs of the community at any given time.
- Donor-Advised funds allow donors to suggest grants to the charitable causes they choose to support.
- Field-of-Interest funds allow the donors to choose an area of interest to be supported as the need arises.
- Designated/Agency funds allow donors to decide at the time of their gift, which named charity, agency, or specific project will benefit from the gift.
- Scholarship funds allow donors the ability to provide support to students who wish to further their educations.
Why Support FSACF?
The Fort Scott Area Community Foundation’s mission is to encourage giving to support the needs of our area communities. All gifts are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Accordingly, it provides donors with opportunities for tax deductions with no set-up costs and allows the flexibility to address one or many needs. And the possibility of giving anonymously is always available to those benefactors who so choose.