The primary mission of the Community Foundation of West Alabama is to help connect people and resources with the most critical needs of West Alabama while providing important giving advantages to donors. The Foundation encourages all donors to work with their professional advisors in helping them decide what charitable goals they are hoping to achieve and then what, how, and when they want to give.

An important distinction in using community foundations is that donors give “through” the foundations rather than “to” the foundations.  The Foundation is simply a tool to help your clients achieve personal long-term philanthropic goals while enhancing the quality of life within West Alabama.  By handling the financial and administrative details of funds, the Community Foundation aims to make giving easier, simpler and more satisfying to donors.

Your clients can support their favorite charities in the present and in perpetuity by creating a fund through the Community Foundation.  Unless a client wishes to remain anonymous, the Community Foundation will recognize their generosity to the recipients of their donations and to the community as a whole.  The Community Foundation of West Alabama has several types of funds to help your clients achieve their specific charitable giving objectives. 

There are several tax benefits that the Community Foundation can offer donors.  First of all, the tax deduction is applicable for the year the gift is made although donations can continue to be given from the fund for years to come.  Also, if donors give stocks or other appreciated property, capital gains taxes may be eliminated while donors still receive the full, fair market value of the gift as their charitable deduction.  Finally, a gift to the Community Foundation can reduce future estate taxes.

Community Foundations throughout the United States promote giving by providing simple agreements and by allowing for a variety of financial vehicles by which a donor may give.