No Grant Distribution June 25 – 29

/in , /by

Grants will not be processed by The Community Foundation during the week of June 25-29, 2018. If you wish for a grant to be distributed by the end of June, please be sure to submit that request no later than noon on Tuesday, June 19.

Grant distribution will resume the week of July 2-6 for all submissions received in our office by noon on Tuesday, July 3.

We appreciate your patience and flexibility with staff vacation schedules and their impact on slight changes in our regular grant distribution cycle during the summer months.

The Breeze promotes Great Community Give!

/in , , /by

 

 

Thank you to The Breeze, JMU’s student run newspaper since 1922. We are grateful for your coverage of the Great Community Give! Check out this article about Harrisonburg & Rockingham County’s first online giving day to benefit local nonprofit organizations! Remember to Point.Click.GIVE on APRIL 18!

 

Spring 2018 Community Needs Projects

/in , /by

Nonprofit organizations in Harrisonburg & Rockingham County have submitted their spring projects. We hope you will review the list of current projects and find one (or more!) that you would like to support. If you need more information about any of these projects, or wish to know more about these organizations, please contact Ann at The Community Foundation, 540-432-3863 or [email protected].

 

The Daily New-Record will be publishing summaries of these projects in their April 30th edition of the newspaper.

2017 Annual Report

/in , , /by

[pdf-embedder url=”https://www.tcfhr.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/TCFHR-2017-annual_report-DIGITAL-VERSION-1.pdf” title=”TCFHR 2017 annual_report DIGITAL VERSION”]

Join IMPACT Harrisonburg for the 2016 Inside the Philanthropist Mind!

/in , /by

IMPACT Harrisonburg kicks off the holiday season with Inside the Philanthropist Mind on Tuesday, November 29th from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at Explore More Discovery Museum. Please join us to hear perspectives from local business leaders on philanthropy and the role it has played in their lives and their successes.

For more information and to register, click here.

Special thanks to IMPACT’s Annual Partners:
Alexiou Hearing & Sinus Center
Funkhouser Real Estate Group
Integrity Home Mortgage

And Event Sponsor:
Paul Whatley, REALTOR

Learn More About a 65% Virginia State Tax Credit Opportunity

/in , , , /by

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Tax Credit Program is a way to support educational opportunities for local students and receive a 65% Virginia state tax credit on top of current state and federal charitable deductions. These state tax credits may be used in the tax year they are issued.

 

This program is similar to NAP credits, but is for individual or business donors interested in supporting scholarships at private K-12 schools in Virginia. Donations provide scholarship funds to support students of families that meet financial need criteria. The credits may not exceed the tax liability, but can be carried over for five succeeding years.

 

This year, the state has authorized up to $25 million in Education Improvement Tax Credits. The credits are readily available, but December 14th is a critical deadline to get this done for calendar year 2016 tax filings. It takes up to 2 weeks to receive the authorization allowing the taxpayer to make a qualified donation. Please note that donation checks may not be written before authorization is received.

 

The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg & Rockingham County is an approved scholarship foundation for the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). Our staff will be glad to help you work through the process, and we can expedite application for these credits by sending forms electronically to the state. Program details and the Preauthorization Form can be found on the Virginia Department of Education website.

 

Please contact Ann at 540-432-3863 or [email protected], if you have questions regarding this program, or if The Community Foundation staff can be of assistance in any way.

Charitable Giving on a Budget

/in , , /by

Although it’s still late summer, some people are ready to start planning for the season of giving. Gifts will be carefully chosen for family and friends, scrumptious desserts will be baked and ready to eat, and holiday decorations hung up around the house. What about giving back to the community though? Unfortunately most of us aren’t made of money so when it comes to charitable giving, planning a budget is a necessity. Here are a few tips to start planning for the upcoming holiday season!

 

Donate your clutter

Go through your house and clear out any unwanted items or things you don’t need that others could use more. Here are a few organizations to start with that accept donations:

http://www.valleyopendoors.com/

http://ourcommunityplace.org/

http://virginiasalvationarmy.org/harrisonburgva/

http://www.goodwillvalleys.com/

http://www.themercyhouse.org/

http://giftandthrift.org/

 

Pool your money

Create a small giving circle within your friends and family to pool all your money together and make one large donation to the organization of your choosing.

 

Set aside part of your income

Try to set aside at least 3% of your income on a regular basis to ensure you’ll have a little something to give and still have a separate pool of money for family gifts.

 

Employer match donations

Most corporate employers have matching funds or grants that match its employees’ charitable contributions. Some matching gifts are dollar-for-dollar but others can be double or triple the donation.

 

Blood/plasma donations

When donating money isn’t an option, don’t forget you can donate blood or plasma and some places even compensate you for your donation with cash (which can then be donated if you wish).

 

Donate your time

Finally, don’t forget you can always donate your time. A lot of organizations are always looking for extra hands to help out in the busy season of giving. Even if it’s only an hour of your time, anything helps!

Aren’t sure where help is needed? Check out these organizations below!

https://www.brafb.org/

http://www.themercyhouse.org/

http://ourcommunityplace.org/

www.bbshr.org/

http://virginiasalvationarmy.org/harrisonburgva/

http://www.uwhr.org/

https://www.sites.google.com/site/wrtcpublicrhetoric/home

 

Click on link below for a full list of local non-profit organizations.

http://www.tcfuwhr.org/index.php/site/a-z

 

 

 

Giving and Happiness

/in , , /by

Can money buy us happiness? I think most of us would say no. But what about gifts to others? At the Community Foundation, we believe that giving not only strengthens and improves our community but giving to others makes us happy. We see it everyday as we work with donors to make their philanthropic goals a reality. Michael Norton, Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School has researched this phenomenon and agrees. According to Dr Norton, spending on others makes us think differently about our money and ultimately makes us happier. Check out his recent story on the TED Radio Hour on NPR:


So if giving makes us happy, can we take that a step farther and say that local giving has a two-fold benefit for our community: 1) it provides much needed funding for services and other community improvements and 2) community members are happier in general. I don’t know about you but I think a happier community is a better community.

Not sure where to give or how to give? The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg & Rockingham can help. We offer many ways to give back to your community no matter the dollar level. Check out our current Community Needs Listing where we have compiled a list of needs from our local nonprofit organizations. Please give us a call at 432-3863 if you would like more information on fulfilling a need in our community.

IMPACT Harrisonburg, a giving circle for professionals in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, provides a great way to give to others. Each member of the giving circle gives an amount based on age and collectively the group decides which local nonprofits will benefit. Not only do members benefit by giving their money to others but they are part of a collaborative effort that is making a difference in our community. Last year the group gave almost $15,000 to local nonprofit On The Road Collaborative to provide after school education and support for at-risk middle school children. Voting for a grant recipient for 2016 will start at the end of May. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this exciting new group in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Here’s a link to more information on IMPACT.

Contact me at the Community Foundation with questions or if you would like additional information.

Melissa
[email protected]
432-3863

Community Foundation office closing early on Dec. 31

/in , , , , , /by

The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg & Rockingham County will be closing its office early on Thursday, December 31, 2015. Our office hours for the remainder of 2015 are as follows:

Tuesday, December 29                 9:00AM – 5:00PM

Wednesday, December 30           9:00AM – 5:00PM

Thursday, December 31               9:00AM – Noon

Friday, January 1                          Closed

 

We appreciate your investment in our community and are most grateful for your support of our work during the past year. We look forward to working with you in 2016 as we ‘Dream. Share. Build. OUR COMMUNITY.’

President Signs IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution into Law

/in , , /by

On December 18, Congress passed the PATH Act, which renews and makes permanent the IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution provision of 2006.  This provision makes it easier for Americans to give to causes they care about and will help local charities strengthen their communities by allowing individuals to roll over up to $100,000 annually from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) to charity without being federally taxed.

Click here to see the announcement from the Council on Foundations.

Millions of Americans continue to save pre-tax dollars in their IRAs. The law allows taxpayers 70 ½ and older to share their wealth by giving retirement savings directly to charity—and bypassing income tax.  (source: http://www.ici.org/research/stats/retirement/)

Annually, holders of traditional IRAs who are at least 70½ years old can make direct charitable transfers up to $100,000. Individuals may exclude the amount distributed directly to an eligible charity from their gross income. The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg & Rockingham County can help donors execute the transfers and choose from several charitable fund options for their gift.  Please note that Donor Advised Funds do not qualify for tax-free IRA transfers.

Some charitable fund options at The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg & Rockingham County that do qualify include:

Field of Interest Fund—Connecting personal values to high-impact opportunities.

IRA transfers to Field of Interest Funds allow donors to target gifts to causes important to them: arts, education, neighborhood revitalization, youth welfare and more.  The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg & Rockingham County awards grants to community organizations and programs addressing the donor’s specific interest area.

Designated Fund—Helping local organizations sustain and grow.

IRA transfers to Designated Funds allow donors to support the good work of a specific nonprofit organization—a senior center, museum or any qualifying nonprofit charitable organization.

The Community Endowment Fund – Meeting ever-changing community needs

IRA transfers to the Community Endowment for Harrisonburg & Rockingham County address a broad range of current and future needs. The Community Foundation asks local nonprofit to submit a description of their needs each year as part of the Community Needs Listing process.  Grants from the Community Endowment are awarded annually to nonprofits on this listing to help meet the needs of our community.

Call The Community Foundation of Harrisionburg & Rockingham today at (540) 432-3863 to find out more about the IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution and how it can benefit our community!