A community foundation is a tax-exempt, publicly supported, philanthropic organization focused on building permanent endowments that generate funds to address changing needs in the local community.

The Foundation for MetroWest provides support to the communities west of Boston in two ways:
• We have unrestricted endowments from which the trustees, committee members and staff make grants to support local efforts in five areas: Youth Development, Family Support, Arts & Culture and the Environment.
• The foundation works with private donors, including individuals, families, family foundations and donor groups, to professionally support and administer their charitable activities through Donor Advised Funds. The income from discretionary funds as well as donor-advised funds can help a community respond to emerging problems and opportunities, as well as prepare for its future. Our program experts are availsable to assist donors in making effective grant-making decisions.

The Foundation for MetroWest makes grants to qualified nonprofit organizations which are active in maintaining the educational, health, human service, social, cultural, environmental and civic resources of the region. The foundation professionally manages and distributes income from charitable gifts and bequests in a manner consistent with the foundation’s, and the individual donor’s, specific and general interests. Community foundations provide philanthropic leadership and help create and promote efforts among residents to improve the quality of life in the community.

The Foundation for MetroWest has an independent governing body representing the broad interests of the community with members of the board serving limited terms. The board is responsible for asset development, management oversight, grant-making, and ensuring that a reasonable rate of return is achieved on all funds entrusted to the foundation.

A community foundation actively seeks new contributions of permanent endowment from a wide range of donors who are generally residents of the area. Donors range from people of relatively modest means to those with large financial resources, as well as local businesses and community organizations.

Our donors are people with a strong sense of community and personal commitment to making a significant contribution to the area in which they live. Some donors tell us that they appreciate the groundwork and research we do in vetting local charities, thereby predetermining for them the most worthwhile causes in the community. Other donors value the speed, flexibility, and ease of using us as their philanthropic avenue.

Establishing a fund with us is an easy, effective, and enjoyable way to achieve your philanthropic goals. We are a grassroots organization with extensive experience dealing with local issues and needs. Our staff is a valuable resource for establishing funds, making grants, and assisting nonprofit organizations in ways that maximize the benefits to our community. We provide highly personalized service tailored to each individual’s charitable and financial interests.

The unrestricted funds of the foundation are awarded in a competitive process to nonprofit agencies in the community. We’ve established guidelines and processes for grant-making; a Request for Proposals (RFP) goes out once a year, and then we carefully select from the applicant agencies to determine which projects and organizations merit funding. Community foundations accept some funds with restrictions placed by the donors that designate the agency or nature of the grants to be made.

We’ve established the philosophy and policies for investments and authorizes an Investment Committee to direct the investing of the foundation’s assets accordingly. The foundation reviews the philosophy and policies annually. The Investment Committee meets regularly to review the investment portfolio.

We invest our assets for the support of current and future generations. This is accomplished using a diversified asset allocation strategy oriented towards higher return assets, and executed using highly capable investment managers.

Community foundations file an annual return with the IRS, which is a publicly available document. In addition, most states require a state information return, which is also publicly available. We’re primarily accountable to the people of the area and we publish an annual report that is available to all.

No. We accept gifts of appreciated securities (which are particularly advantageous to the donor), real property, or in some cases, personal property. The community foundation offers the maximum charitable deduction available for estate and gift planning opportunities. We can provide information on giving techniques and assist donors in evaluating the most effective ways to accomplish their charitable goals.