Guide to Giving - Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation

Types of FundsSUPPORTINGORGANIZATIONSSCHOLARSHIPFUNDSYOU CAN CREATEan excellent alternative toa private foundationYOU CAN CHANGEthe life of a studentFOUNDATION SPOTLIGHTFUND SPOTLIGHTTHE FOUNDATION FOR COMMUNITYHEALTH (FCH) invests in people, programsand strategies to improve health in our communities.Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation playedthe leading role in establishing FCH with the assetsof Sharon Hospital which was sold to a for-profitcompany in 2003.As a supporting organization, FCH receives investmentand financial services from BTCF and the twoorganizations often collaborate on health-relatedgrantmaking. Says FCH Executive Director NancyHeaton, “Berkshire Taconic’s financial and investmentexpertise has allowed us to focus on what we dobest: funding programs, such as school-based dentalservices; bringing people together to solve problemslike the lack of adequate transportation services; andraising awareness about health issues important toour rural communities. The public charity status ourrelationship confers has also enhanced our ability tobring additional resources into our communities.”Since inception, FCH has awarded nearly $5 millionin grants that have helped improve the physicalhealth and well being of the residents of easternDutchess and southeastern Columbia Counties inNew York and the northwestern corner of CT.Established by an individual, family or business with a gift ofat least $1 million, a supporting organization is a separatenonprofit corporation that operates under Berkshire TaconicCommunity Foundation and qualifies as a public charity.A supporting organization is an excellent alternative to a private foundation,with only a fraction of the administrative responsibilities and lower costs.You select some board members, which may include family members, maintainpersonal involvement, retain your identity and support cherished causes. Weprovide an array of philanthropic and administrative services to make thegiving experience simple and enjoyable.Minimum to establish a supporting organization: $5 millionFoundation for Community Health$15,000,000 value in 2003$24,000,000 value in 2012$5,000,000 grants since 2004Higher education has long been seen as one of the surest pathsto increased opportunity. Unfortunately, many people whocould benefit the most from a college education are least ableto afford it. Scholarship funds can help these students on theirpath to higher education.Berkshire Taconic is the region’s largest provider of scholarships and has helpedhundreds of students from all walks of life attain the goal of a college educationand, in some cases, a graduate degree. Your fund can help propel promisingstudents toward academic and professional success.We hold funds for aspiring artists, engineers, musicians, doctors, teachers andothers. Our program team can assist you in establishing the selection criteriathat match your goals and expectations.Selection committees, comprised of responsible and knowledgeable communitymembers, help screen and select candidates. Awards are decided based on acompetitive process, which may consider academic achievement, extracurricularactivities, a statement of the applicant’s personal aspirations and goals, and/orfinancial need.Scholarship funds are endowed, and may be named to honor your family orloved ones.Minimum to open a scholarship fund: $25,000ALOCAL LEGEND KNOWN for her kindand eccentric nature, Dr. Josephine Evarts(1901-1983) "Dr. Jo",cared for thousands ofpatients in her 54 yearsas a doctor in theHarlem Valley, NY. Shemarried Gilbert Tabor,an E.N.T. specialist who died in 1957. In his memoryshe established The Tabor Foundation to help localstudents attend institutions of higher learning.When Dr. Jo died, a portion of her estate was setaside to provide income for life to her secondhusband Charles Demarest. After his death, theremainder of the estate went to the Foundation.Millerton attorney and Tabor Foundation boardmember Ed Downey recalls, "We concluded we weretoo small to do much by ourselves. We needed bothinvestment and administrative expertise." The boarddecided to create the Tabor Fund by dissolving theprivate foundation and transferring the assets toBTCF. Says Downey, "With the help of the skilled staffat BTCF, we have returned to our roots and nowprovide financial assistance to students every year tocontinue their education in any field of health care."22 berkshiretaconic.orgberkshiretaconic.org 23