Community foundations are instruments of civil society designed to pool donations into a coordinated investment and grant making facility dedicated primarily to the social improvement of a given place.

Families, individuals, businesses, and nonprofit groups establish funds within community foundations into which they can contribute a variety of assets to be used for charitable purposes. The people or organizations that establish the funds can then recommend that grants be distributed, in the name of the fund or anonymously, to qualified nonprofit groups and schools. The donor receives a charitable deduction in the year that gifts are made into their funds.

The assets of community foundations are pooled and invested, with donors typically having a choice of investment products.

The funds established at community foundations can be expendable funds (i.e., grants can be made in any amount at any time) or they can be endowments, which limit distributions to the interest earned on the assets. Endowments last in perpetuity.

The first community foundation was set up in Cleveland in 1914 by Frederick Goff and operating now as the Cleveland Foundation. Others soon followed including the California Community Foundation and the Chicago Community Trust.

Community foundations are now a global phenomenon. There are at least 700 in the United States and perhaps 1000 more around the world with numbers
growing rapidly.

The above definition is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_foundation

The following is a list of community foundations in Connecticut:

Branford Community Foundation
P.O. Box 462
Branford, CT 06405-0462


The Greater Bridgeport Area Foundation
Contact: Cindy S. Kissin, President & CEO
211 State Street
3rd Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604-4808
Phone: (203)334-7511     Fax: (203)333-4652
Website: http://www.gbafoundation.org/


The Community Foundation of Northwest Connecticut
Contact: Guy Rovezzi, President
32 City Hall Ave
PO Box 11144
Torrington, CT 06790-5301
Phone: (860)626-1245     Fax: (860)489-7517
http://www.cfnwct.org/


Connecticut Community Foundation
Contact: Ingrid Manning, Chief Executive Officer
43 Field Street
Waterbury, CT 06702
Phone: (203)753-1315     Fax: (203)756-3054
Website: http://www.conncf.org/


Community Foundation of Central Connecticut
35 Pleasant Street Suite 1E
Meriden, CT 06450-7856
Phone: (203)235-4403     Fax: (203)235-4404


Essex Community Fund
Post Office Box 366
Essex, CT 06426-0366


Fairfield County Community Foundation, Inc.
Contact: Susan M. Ross, President/CEO
523 Danbury Road
Wilton, CT 06897-2233
Phone: (203)834-9393     Fax: (203)834-9996
Email: sross@fccfoundation.org
Website: http://www.fccfoundation.org/


Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
Contact: Linda J. Kelly, JD, President
10 Columbus Blvd.
Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: (860)548-1888     Fax: (860)524-8346
Website: http://www.hfpg.org/matriarch/default.asp


The Madison Foundation, Inc.
Contact: Richard C. Benson, President
P.O. Box 446
Madison, CT 06443-0446
Phone: (203)421-4160     Fax: (203)421-4796
Email: d.benson@snet.net
Website: http://www.themadisonfoundation.org/


Main Street Community Foundation
Contact: Cheryl Dumont-Smith, President/CEO
200 Main Street
Bristol, CT 06011
Phone: (860)583-6363     Fax: (860)589-1252
Website: http://www.mainstreetfoundation.org/


Middlesex County Community Foundation
Contact: Patti Anne Vassia , President
P.O. Box 25
Middletown, CT 06457-0025
Phone: (860)347-0025     Fax: (860)347-0029
Email: patti@middlesexcountycf.org
Website: http://www.middlesexcountycf.org/


Community Foundation of Greater New Britain
Contact: James G. Williamson , President
74A Vine Street
New Britain, CT 06052
Phone: (860)229-6018     Fax: (860)225-2666
Website: http://www.cfgnb.org/


New Canaan Community Foundation, Inc.
Contact: Cynthia Gorey, Executive Director
P.O. Box 1285
New Canaan, CT 06840-1285
Phone: (203)966-0231
Website: http://www.newcanaan.americantowns.com/servlets/WebPage?actionid=950&eid=22993


Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
Contact: A. F. Drew Alden, Chief Financial & Operating Officer
70 Audubon Street
New Haven, CT 06510-1248
Phone: (203)777-2386     Fax: (203)787-6584
Email: aalden@cfgnh.org
Website: http://www.cfgnh.org/


Orange Foundation
P.O. Box 729
Orange, CT 06477-0729
Phone: (203)795-3716


The Community Foundation of Southeastern Connecticut
Contact: Alice Fitzpatrick, President
P.O. Box 769
New London, CT 06320-0769
Phone: (860)442-3572     Fax: (860)442-0584
Email: alice@cfsect.org
Website: http://www.cfsect.org/


Community Foundation of the Tri-County Area, Inc.
Contact: Karen Jan Hoke, Executive Director
676 Main Street, 4th Floor
Willimantic, CT 06226
Phone: (860)423-4373
Email: tricountyfoundation@yahoo.com


The Valley Community Foundation
c/o Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
Contact: Angela G. Powers, President
Two Enterprise Drive, Suite 303
Shelton, CT 06484