Page 6 - Our Impact 2014

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONSSince the first community foundation was created 100 years ago, the movement has grown to include over 1,700 foundations in 51 countries worldwide, with 48 in the UK alone.Philanthropy pioneer Fred Goff was a man with vision.He discoveredthat many of hisnineteenth-century predecessors had left benevolent willsand significant sums of money to benefit causes that had since become obsolete. Goff realised that a better way to ensure a community’s future was to create a fund that was held by its citizens in perpetuity, used at their discretion to address the needs of theday. This was the philosophy behind his establishment ofthe first ever community foundation in Ohio.The first foundation in the UK was in Swindon, foundedin 1975, and the model has become increasingly widespreadas truly local charitable giving has experienced a resurgence.Community foundations across the UK• Nearly £500 million is being managed, in aggregate, by community foundations across the country.• Community foundations are now the largest private grant-maker in the UK, supporting over 20,000 community-based charities and groups each year.• UK community foundations aimto grow their total combined endowment to £1 billion by 2020 – and Oxfordshire needs to contribute £10 million to help reach this objective.6 Impact Report 2014OUR APPROACH