Triangle Community Foundation Posts Growth in 2012-2013

One indicator of a healthy community is the amount of charitable giving and funds coming into the community.  By that measure, Durham is doing quite well.

Triangle Community Foundation, a nonprofit fund management company that distributes funds to nonprofits in the community, posted growth in new funds, total gifts, grants and scholarships, and endowment and assets over the past year.

“We’re happy to see so many of our donors and community partners continuing to engage in and support important causes in our community, and we are honored to play a role in this work,” says Lori O’Keefe, president of the Foundation.

New funds expand

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 46 new funds were created at the Foundation, up from 33 the previous year, and they ranged in size from $10,000, the minimum allowed, to an estate gift totaling $2.5 million. New funds totaled $6.5 million, up from $6 million a year earlier, and total gifts, including new funds, totaled $16.8 million up from $16.3 million a year earlier.

“The market has a lot to do with it,” says Jessica Banks Gilmour Aylor, director of development and community partnerships at the Foundation. “Any time we have donors with appreciated assets is the time they will give to charitable organizations.”

Endowment assets grow

As of June 30, endowment assets at the Foundation consisted of over 300 funds totaling $94 million, or nearly 60 percent of all assets, up from $86 million in total endowment assets a year earlier. Overall assets -- including fixed-income and equity investments, as well as pass-through funds that are not invested -- grew to $160 million in the year ended June 30 from $145 million a year earlier.

Scholarships increase

For the 2012-13 school year, the Foundation awarded scholarships totaling $654,000 from 49 different scholarship funds to 145 students, with the largest totaling $60,000 over three years and the average award totaling $4,500.

For the 2013-14 school year, the Foundation already has awarded scholarships totaling $628,000 from 51 different scholarship funds to 115 students, and expects the total to be roughly $670,000. The largest scholarship so far totals $60,000 over three years, and the average award so far totals $5,500.

Grants and gifts grow

The Foundation made $13.8 million in grants in the fiscal year ended June 30, up from $13.2 million a year earlier. Of the total grants, $11.6 million came from donor advised funds, up from $10.7 million a year earlier. Roughly 70 percent of grants from donor advised funds in the most recent fiscal year stayed in the Triangle.

Gifts to the Foundation in the most recent fiscal year totaled $16.9 million, up from $16.3 million a year earlier. Of the total gifts, $12.7 million were given to donor advised funds, up from $8.5 million a year earlier.

Family philanthropy

During the year, the foundation launched a series of five education sessions to talk to fundholders about family philanthropy. The sessions focused on topics such as how to involve family members in the family’s philanthropy, how to get the family’s next generation involved in philanthropy, how to think about creating a family’s philanthropic legacy, and the range of charitable giving options through estate planning. The Foundation plans to offer more education sessions this year, probably two this fall and two next spring.

Donor education

The Foundation sponsored or co-sponsored four sessions for the Triangle Donors Forum. The sessions focused on the impact of funding cuts on nonprofits; capacity-building for nonprofits; homelessness; and collaboration in the sector. The Foundation plans to sponsor four more sessions this year, some of which likely will be tied to new community programs in development.

Triangle Community Foundation is a nonprofit that manages over $160 million in funds established by families, businesses, individuals, and organizations. From these funds, it makes grants to nonprofit organizations and administers a variety of programs for the community’s benefit. The Foundation manages over 790 funds, ranging in size from $10,000 to $7 million, mainly for the benefit of Wake, Durham, Orange and Chatham counties. During the 2012-2013 fiscal year, the Foundation granted more than $13 million to nonprofits, schools and community efforts.

Learn more about all the great things happening in Durham.

GlaxoSmithKline, Triangle Community Foundation Issue Call for Applications Totaling $400,000 in GSK IMPACT Awards

Local Nonprofits Improving Community Health Encouraged to Apply for Ten $40,000 Awards
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Triangle Community Foundation today issued the 2013 GSK IMPACT Awards Call for Applications. This annual awards program will honor up to ten local nonprofits in Research Triangle Park, NC and the surrounding region with $40,000 each in recognition of their achievements and innovations in improving community health.

“At a time when so many families and communities are facing increasing health challenges, local nonprofits – particularly smaller organizations – continue to play a vital role in improving the health of our state,” said Katie Loovis, Director, U.S. Community Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement, GlaxoSmithKline. “We are seeking to honor ten unique and exemplary local programs for their commitment to our region and positive influence on the communities they serve.”

The GSK IMPACT Awards honor innovative, collaborative, and evidence-based programs that are helping people – especially underserved populations – live healthier lives, and contributing to the health of the Triangle Region.

To qualify for a GSK IMPACT Award applicants must be physically located in Chatham, Durham, Granville, Person, Orange, and/or Wake Counties and have annual total operating expenses between $160,000 and $5 million.  To view the additional criteria and to apply, visit this site.  The application deadline is Friday, May 31, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. EDT. For questions, contact GlaxoSmithKline Community Partnerships at (919) 483-2669 or email.

“Improving the health of a community is as difficult as it is important,” said Triangle Community Foundation President Lori O’Keefe. “The GSKIMPACT Awards provide not only a generous financial reward to deserving nonprofits, but the awards also show the nation that some of the most promising social innovations in community health are happening right here in North Carolina.”

The scope of this year’s GSK IMPACT Awards has expanded to focus on improving access to health.  Eligible programs now include ones that promote healthy lifestyles, advance educational outcomes, and address other determinants of our health. The expanded focus aligns with GSK’s efforts to explore what it means, and what it takes to be a healthy community. In 2012, GSK kicked off an initiative to better understand how it can more effectively partner to build healthy communities, and this work continues in 2013.

A panel comprised of local and national health experts and representatives from GSK will evaluate the applications. Finalists will be notified in the summer, and winners will be notified in the fall following site visits to observe the submitted projects. The GSK IMPACT Awards will be presented at a ceremony in the Research Triangle Park in late 2013.
The History of GSK IMPACT Awards:

• For 17 years, GSK has honored outstanding nonprofit programs that are improving access to health in and around our U.S. corporate campuses in Durham, North Carolina and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with GSK IMPACT Awards.
• To date, 157 exemplary U.S.-based nonprofits have been honored with $6,214,000 in GSK IMPACT Awards. And more than one million dollars has been awarded to 28 local nonprofit organizations in the Research Triangle Park and surrounding region since 2009.
• The name ‘IMPACT’ derives from the focus that winners must have demonstrated in their application submissions: Innovation, Management,Partnership, Achievement, Community Focus, and Targeting Need.

About GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline – one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For further information go to this site, follow the on Twitter or visit their blog.

About Triangle Community Foundation
Triangle Community Foundation is a nonprofit that manages $145 million in funds established by families, businesses, individuals, and organizations. From these funds, it makes grants to nonprofit organizations and administers a variety of programs for the community’s benefit. The Foundation manages over 750 funds, ranging in size from $10,000 to $7 million, mainly for the benefit of Wake, Durham, Orange and Chatham counties. During the 2011-12 fiscal year, the Foundation granted more than $13 million to nonprofits, schools and community efforts. For more information, visit online.