Community foundations

A community foundation is a local organization that pools and leverages community resources into identified community needs, thus contributing to an improvement in the quality of life for the people living in a given geographical area.

The foundation resorts to various mechanisms to mobilize community resources (sponsorship, donations, fundraising, payroll giving, community marketing, etc.), giving sponsors and donors the opportunity to target their own resources towards areas and fields that are relevant to them and to the community.

Based on these resources, the foundation makes grants to local initiatives developed by non-profit organizations, community leaders, gifted people. At the same time, the foundation actively identifies community needs and stimulates donor commitment and partnership development to approach donors.

At present, there are 4 community foundations in Cluj, Odorheiu Secuiesc, Alba and Covasna. The Association for Community Relations initiated a programme to support the development of existing community foundations and creating new community foundations. The programme is realized in cooperation with The Foundation for Partenership, that ensures the component of grant making and PACT Foundation that ensures the execution of the programme in the south region of the country. The programme is financialy sustained by Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe and Romanian-American Foundation. More information about the programme you'll find here: www.fundatiicomunitare.ro.

The interest of ARC for community foundations is from 2005 when we invested in understanding the operating model of community foundations and in the first feasibility study regarding the possibility of founding some community foundations in Romania.

We've started testing in 2006 in Cluj the response of community at this idea trough the Community project grant and initiating YouthBank programme, as a model of raising and distribution of funds with the participation of community members. A second financing was discussed with the Therapy Ranbaxy company. In january 2008, these initiatives continued under the Community Foundation Cluj, an independent organization whose purpose is to mobilize and to distribute financial resources to improve the quality of life in the area around Cluj.

Simultaneously we have supported initiatives that tested the interest to others local communities. Thus, in 2006-2007 were organized two grants for community projects in district Alba and one grant in Satu Mare, and a promoting campaign of 2% initiatives in Odorheiu Secuiesc. To inforce the initiatives from Alba, Cluj and Odorheiu Secuiesc, we organized a study visit in Slovakia, with the support of Global Fund for Community Foundations and of our partner Center for Philanthropy.

In december 2007, a group of business people from Odorheiu Secuiesc have decided to support the causes from community under the idea of community foundation umbrella, process facilitated by Mr. Chris Worman, back then volunteer of Peace Corps, at present executive director of Community Foundation from Odorheiu Secuiesc. In 2008-2010, The Community Foundation Cluj continued YouthBank programme, that finalized in present the fourth year and developed new initiatives of fundraising and financial support. The programme 'Green Garden from Gradi', accomplished with the support of Therapy Ranbaxy, supported the ecological projects initiated by kindergartens in Cluj for two years. The third big programme is Collegium. Excellence in education have confirmed the performances in educational field, based on the support of Electrogrup company. The first edition of Swimming Charitable Competition (Swimathon) is one of the fundraising initiatives. Through this event the foundation have gathered a fund of 28.200 RON from the contributions of over 70 donors and that was enough to support three projects for social inclusion of children and young people. Until now, The Community Foundation in Cluj have distributed over 435.000 RON, for 95 projects and 30 grants.

In the same period, Community Foundation Odorheiu Secuiesc offered the community the opportunity to decide which projects will be suppoerted, by voting three out of seven community initiatives. Another programme encourages the local community to participate voluntarily in urban design projects, reinventing the idea of working group. In the same time, The Fund for Young Peolple and their Good Ideas project have supported various local initiatives, and the foundation continued to promote the use of 2% forecast, the last programme offering financial support to local nonprofit organization to develope their own campaign of fundraising. Since 2009, Community Foundation Odorheiu Secuiesc is a local partner of ARC in the national programme YouthBank.

In 2009, ARC supported the activity of a group initiative from Alba, by encouraging fundraising to gather capital and develope YouthBank programme in Alba through events like Golf Community Challenge and Joy Factory. Community Foundation Alba have started the activity in april 2010, and imediately after the events, it was able to support 10 projects of highschool students from YouthBank programme. The foundation have set out to mobilize resources from local companies and to support programmes in cultural, educational and ecological fields.

Based on the success of initiatives from Cluj and Odorheiu Secuiesc, and of international experience (Slovakia, Great Britain and USA) brought in programme with the support of the Community Foundations Network from Great Britain and of Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, we've put the basis for a new stage in the development programme of community foundations, with a support strategy for the next ten years. The programme is based on the support of partners, financing organizations and of a coordination comitee formed by experts and opinion leaders.

Find out how the history of community foundation's evolution is continued at: www.fundatiicomunitare.ro