Blog

April 2, 2019

Does tax season get you thinking about how you gave in 2018? What goals did you create for yourself and how did you reach them? Year-end sneaks up on all of us, especially as we consider tax-deductible donations. We may find ourselves rushing around to respond to the needs of multiple nonprofits or hastily deciding […]

March 28, 2019

School Counts!  This workforce development partnership between Morrilton’s business community, the county’s K-12 schools and the University of Arkansas at Morrilton is supported by the Conway County Community Foundation because of its clear relationship to community growth and personal opportunity. “Since it started back in 2006, our local Community Foundation has made significant contributions to […]

March 19, 2019

Thirty years ago, the late H.L. and Janelle Hembree began one of the first donor advised funds at what is now the Western Arkansas Community Foundation with a gift of $104,000. To date, Hembree family members have made almost $2.2 million in grants to nonprofits in Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas from the proceeds of […]

March 12, 2019

A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) is a direct transfer of funds from a traditional IRA account to a public 501c3 nonprofit, such as the Community Foundation. A QCD can count as all or some of the IRA owner’s required minimum distribution (RMD), and the QCD amount is not added to taxable income as an RMD […]

March 8, 2019

Arkansas Community Foundation created the Aspire Arkansas report to provide a county-by-county look at the quality of life in Arkansas. From that report, we learned that only 37.8% of our state’s third-graders can read on grade-level. Only 37.8%. A mountain of education research confirms that third-grade reading levels are a strong predictor of future success […]

February 26, 2019

For three years, Misty Ward of Magnolia’s East Side Elementary dreamed of having a book-mobile that would deliver reading programs to kids during the summer. After doing some research and finding what worked for other Arkansas school districts, she decided to form a plan.  With only 29 percent of Magnolia K-3 students reading on grade-level, […]

January 31, 2019

Look for it soon in your mailbox or read it online – the 2018 Arkansas Community Foundation Annual Report tells the story of how the people of our state are giving smart, together. It’s got all the numbers on the Foundation’s progress during the fiscal year July 2017 to June 2018, when $42 million in […]

December 6, 2018

After a glorious autumn in the Natural State, there’s no denying that the gift-giving season is now upon us. While some of us relish in carefully selecting the perfect gift for each person on our list, others consider the task of holiday shopping as one more to-do to mark off our list before truly enjoying […]

December 4, 2018

Arkansas Community Foundation is ready to assist you as you begin to make year-end giving plans. So that we can provide the best possible service and ensure your charitable gifts qualify for a charitable income tax deduction in the 2018 tax year, please keep these important dates in mind: Checks sent via the U.S. Postal […]

November 19, 2018

Alden Napier brings more than just a positive attitude and strong leadership to his role as executive director for Credit Counseling of Arkansas. He can personally testify to the surprises that life can bring and the importance of smart financial planning. When Napier was young, his family lost three businesses in the span of a […]