By Ashley Coldiron, Chief Development Officer

Planning for the future is important, and that includes making a will, setting up a trust, and creating financial plans for retirement. But have you considered including charitable giving in your estate plan? The Community Foundation is here to help you align your giving with your values while maximizing financial benefits.

Formalizing your charitable intentions can bring purpose and extend your impact beyond your lifetime. Thoughtful giving strategies can also offer tax benefits, such as reducing taxable income through charitable deductions or minimizing estate taxes by directing funds to charity. Donating appreciated assets, like publicly traded stock, can help you avoid capital gains taxes while supporting causes you care about.

The Community Foundation team is ready to guide you in creating a philanthropy plan that incorporates both lifetime giving and legacy gifts. Here are three key considerations:

  • Give to What You Know: Supporting causes you are personally connected to brings the greatest fulfillment. If you need guidance, our team can provide insights on charities that align with your values.
  • Give Where You Live: Local organizations often address the most pressing needs in your community. We can help identify opportunities to make a meaningful difference close to home.
  • Give to the Causes You Love: When you donate to organizations that align with your passions, you are more likely to stay engaged and make a lasting impact.

Whether you already have a donor advised fund or are just beginning your charitable giving journey, the Community Foundation is honored to support your philanthropy. We look forward to helping you create a plan that reflects your generosity and vision.

Carroll County Community Foundation Board of Directors are working to continue the charitable legacy of the late Wayne and Janet Clark. Supporters of the Community Foundation since its inception in 2001, the Clarks created their own named endowment in 2002 which endures today – lending financial assistance to many projects throughout the county in their memory.

In the past 12 months, the Wayne and Janet Clark Charitable Endowment has provided two significant donations to the Berryville community. In the summer of 2024, a Clark Endowment grant built a safety fence around the Janet Clark Memorial Playground next to the Berryville Community Center.

Mavis Lehr, Lauren Morris (ARCF), Jamie Hussey (Berryville Parks and Recreation Director), Janell Robertson, Teddy Willing (Mavis and Teddy are CCCF Board members)

“The addition of the fencing around our playground has been a huge safety benefit for our patrons and looks attractive as well. We cannot say enough how thankful and blessed we are for the contributions of our donors and the Clark Endowment through the Carroll County Community Foundation,” said Jamie Hussey, Berryville Parks and Recreation Director.

Last week, the Clark Endowment provided a significant grant to the Friends of the Berryville Library to bolster support of the new library building program.

“We are very thankful for the support of the Clark Endowment. Like an endowment, a new library in Berryville will be a gift that serves our community for generations to come,” said Julie Hall, Director, Berryville Library. “We have been raising money towards this goal for years and are breaking ground April 1. While this is a momentous achievement, we are not done yet. We need to raise additional funds to furnish the building.”

The Clark’s charitable legacy is a perfect example of the power of an endowment—it grows through investment and gives out grants forever. In 23 years, their endowment has provided 75 grants totaling over $215,000. It will never stop giving back in their memory. The Clarks understood that a charitable gift should be an investment in a cause you care about that will generate unending returns for the entire community.

First row:  Joe Scott, Mavis Lehr, Kristy Noble Tesch (representing the Berryville Friends of the Library), Janell Robertson, Taylor Hudspeth Back Row: Mike Reed, Teddy Willing, Kathy McCormick (all CCCF Board members except for Kristy Noble Tesch who accepted the grant on behalf of the Friends of the Library)

“We are so thankful for donors like the Clarks,” said Janell Robertson, Carroll County Community Foundation Executive Director, “Their love and continued support for our county through their thoughtful and generous endowment reminds us that we can all make a difference, not just now, but forever.”

Working with the Carroll County Community Foundation provides charitable donors with the opportunity to give where it matters to them while maximizing their tax-deductible contributions.

by Jody Dilday, Philanthropic Advisor

Keeping up with tax law changes is a challenge, and 2025 is shaping up to be a landmark year. Many advisors turn to the Community Foundation for insights on legislative shifts that could impact charitable giving. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) Sunset – When the TCJA expires at the end of 2025, key provisions will revert to pre-2017 levels. The top individual tax rate will increase from 37% to 39.6%, potentially enhancing the benefits of charitable deductions. The estate tax exemption will also drop significantly, making charitable bequests a valuable tool for reducing tax liabilities.
  • Potential Expansion of Charitable Deductions – Proposed legislation, such as the Charitable Act, could introduce a universal deduction for non-itemizers, encouraging broader charitable giving. This bill continues to gain traction.
  • Uncertain Impacts – The looming 2025 “cliff” may lead to a major tax code rewrite, influencing charitable giving trends. A past example: after the TCJA reduced tax incentives for donations, charitable giving declined by as much as $20 billion.

The bottom line? We’ve got you covered. The Community Foundation closely monitors tax law developments and their implications for you, your clients, and the nonprofits they support. We’re here to help you navigate the complexities and seize opportunities for strategic charitable planning.

by Lesley Roberts, Philanthropic Advisor

As the holiday glow fades, many clients face the annual stress of gathering tax documents and working with their CPAs, financial advisors, and tax attorneys. Preparing for last year’s filings and planning for the year ahead can feel overwhelming. This year, several factors make tax season particularly challenging:

  • Uncertainty in Legislation – With ongoing changes to tax laws, both advisors and clients struggle to plan with confidence. When so much is up in the air, it’s difficult to provide reassurance.
  • Emotional Strain – Confronting financial realities—income, debts, losses, and tax liabilities—can be draining. Clients who procrastinate may feel even more stressed.
  • Information Overload – The abundance of tax advice online can create confusion. Misinformation or conflicting strategies often make it harder for clients to trust professional guidance.

But there’s good news! Discussing charitable giving can be a bright spot during tax season. Philanthropy not only offers tax benefits but also brings positive emotions to the surface. Many of your clients have already established donor advised funds or other giving vehicles with the Community Foundation. Others may be ready to start their philanthropic journey now.

We’re here to support you. As you navigate tax season, don’t hesitate to reach out. The Community Foundation is honored to be your trusted partner in helping clients align their financial plans with their charitable goals—now and all year long.

by Ashley Coldiron, Chief Development Officer

A major wealth transfer is underway as Baby Boomers prepare to pass assets to their Gen X and Millennial children. The numbers are staggering—$124 trillion in U.S. wealth is expected to change hands by 2048, with $105 trillion going to heirs and $18 trillion earmarked for philanthropy.

For advisors, this is a pivotal moment to help clients integrate charitable giving into their financial and estate plans. The Community Foundation is here to assist with strategies that ensure clients’ philanthropic wishes are fulfilled.

Key reasons to prioritize charitable planning:

  • Bridging the Knowledge Gap – Many clients are unaware of tax-efficient giving options. They may still write checks to charities without realizing the benefits of donating appreciated stock or using donor-advised funds.
  • Advanced Giving Strategies – High-net-worth clients often require sophisticated planning to optimize tax benefits and maximize their philanthropic impact. Structuring gifts of complex assets, such as closely held business interests, can provide both financial and charitable advantages.
  • Proactive Legacy Planning – Waiting to incorporate philanthropy into an estate plan can be a missed opportunity. Naming a fund at the Community Foundation as an IRA beneficiary, for example, is a highly tax-efficient way to support charitable causes.

By leveraging our expertise, you not only enhance your clients’ financial plans but also deepen your relationships and strengthen retention. Let’s work together to ensure your clients’ legacies reflect their values while achieving their financial goals.

by Ashley Coldiron, Chief Development Officer

If you’re 70½ or older, a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) is a smart way to give to a designated, field-of-interest, or unrestricted fund at the Community Foundation. In 2025, you can direct up to $108,000 from your IRA to several types of funds at the Community Foundation—though donor-advised funds aren’t eligible.

But what if you intended to make a QCD in 2024 and ran out of time? Maybe you even initiated one on December 31, only to find it didn’t count due to settlement delays. While you can’t retroactively apply a QCD, here’s how to move forward:

  • Check Your RMD – If you were required to take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) for 2024 and missed it, file IRS Form 5329 to request a waiver and avoid penalties.
  • Plan for 2025 Now – Making your QCD early in the year helps ensure it counts toward your RMD before other taxable withdrawals, avoiding issues with the “first-dollars-out rule.” Plus, you’ll skip the year-end rush.

Our team is here to help you and your advisors navigate QCDs and other charitable giving strategies. Let’s work together to make the most of your philanthropy in 2025!

by Jody Dilday, Philanthropic Advisor

The new year is underway, but there’s still plenty of time to reflect on your charitable impact and plan your giving for 2025. A great place to start is by considering the difference you’ve already made.

Think about the causes you have loved and supported in the past. Many donors establish funds at the Community Foundation because of personal experiences—perhaps a loved one benefited from medical research, a nonprofit counseling service, or compassionate hospice care. Maybe your business thrived thanks to a nonprofit arts district, or you found a cherished pet through an animal rescue. Giving not only changes lives—it also brings joy.

At the Community Foundation, we’re here to help you shape your philanthropic vision for 2025 and beyond. Let’s connect to explore:

  • Maximizing your giving through gifts of appreciated stock
  • Incorporating charitable giving into your estate plan to leave a lasting legacy
  • Partnering with other fundholders to support larger initiatives
  • The impact of past grants from your donor-advised fund and ways to inform future giving
  • How your support aligns with key community priorities to drive meaningful change

If you’d like to discuss your giving strategy or explore new ways to make an impact, connect with one of our team of Philanthropic Advisors. We are here to help.

Little Rock, Ark. (Feb. 5, 2025) – Scholarships are now available for eligible Arkansas students through Arkansas Community Foundation.  

The Community Foundation’s scholarships are for Arkansas students pursuing education at two- or four-year colleges or universities, vocational schools or technical training programs. Each scholarship has its own eligibility criteria. Some scholarships are designated for graduates of a particular high school or those who plan to attend a particular college. Others are based on extracurricular activities or intended college majors.  

The Foundation has a scholarship portal with a quiz to help applicants determine scholarship eligibility. 

“Since 1976, the Community Foundation has partnered with individuals and organizations who want to support our state’s students in their pursuit of higher education,” said Heather Larkin, Community Foundation president and CEO. “These generous people provide the funding and determine the size and eligibility criteria of each scholarship, while we oversee the application and awarding process on their behalf.”  

Hundreds of scholarships can be found on the Foundation’s scholarship portal. For scholarships awarded specifically for a certain school, community or interest-area, applicants should contact their local Community Foundation affiliate office or speak with their school counselor. A list of Foundation affiliate offices can be found at www.arcf.org/affiliates. 

Scholarships that are available statewide include: 

  • Abigail Robertson Scholarship, provides a scholarship for female students pursuing a business degree at a college or university in Pulaski County 
  • Advancing Women in Transportation Scholarship, provides a scholarship to female students who plan to pursue a career in a transportation-related field in Arkansas 
  • Alexa Montez Memorial Scholarship, for a graduating senior who demonstrates community involvement, passion, teamwork, leadership, and enthusiasm for achieving group goals 
  • Anne Pressly Scholarship, to memorialize the legacy of Anne Pressly and support women who plan to pursue a career in Journalism 
  • Arkansas Service Memorial Scholarship, for students who are children of Arkansans who lost their life in service in the state, nation or community 
  • Barbara Mashburn Memorial Scholarship, provides a scholarship for a graduate of an Arkansas high school pursuing an education as a vocalist 
  • Clay and Margaret Godfrey Memorial Agricultural Scholarship, for students enrolled in college pursuing a degree in agricultural science. 
  • East Student Scholarship, provides a scholarship to a graduating senior with a minimum of 100 hours of community service as part of their participation in an EAST program. 
  • Elizabeth G. Redman Republican Party of Arkansas Scholarship, for students who are members of or active in the Republican Party of Arkansas 
  • Herchel and Melba A. Fildes Scholarship, provides a scholarship to students studying nursing and attending Harding University in Searcy or Arkansas State University in Beebe 
  • Lillian McGillicuddy Republican Party of Arkansas Scholarship, for students involved in the Young Republicans organization 
  • Mary Lowe Good Scholarship, provides a scholarship to a graduating senior with a minimum of 100 hours of community service as part of their participation in an EAST program. 
  • Merwin T. and Agnes Bowman Nursing Scholarship, for students seeking a Bachelor of Science in Nursing or equivalent degree from a qualified institution 
  • Poultry Federation Scholarship, provides scholarships to students pursuing a degree related to the poultry industry 
  • Robert P. Atkinson Hospital Leadership and Scholarship, provides a scholarship to students pursuing an advanced degree with an emphasis in healthcare and/or hospital administration 
  • Ryan Mondy D.A.S.H. Memorial Scholarship, provides scholarships to graduating seniors whose lives have been affected by cancer 

To apply, and for more information about these and other scholarships, visit  www.arcf.org/apply/scholarships/. You may also contact Jane Jones at jjones@arcf.org or call 501-372-1116. 

Deadlines for scholarship applications differ and can be found on the scholarship portal.  

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Arkansas Community Foundation, a statewide nonprofit organization, provides resources, insight and inspiration to build stronger Arkansas communities – communities where our kids will want to raise their kids. The Community Foundation is the largest grantmaker in the state in the number of grants made each year. Since 1976, the Foundation has awarded more than half a billion in grants to nonprofits. Serving local communities through a 29-affiliate network along with statewide initiatives, the Foundation staff works directly with donors, professional advisors and nonprofits to help strengthen Arkansas communities through strategic philanthropy and focusing on local needs. Its assets rank among the top 60 of community foundations in the United States with more than $800 million in charitable assets under management.   

Written by Lauren Morris, Program Director at Arkansas Community Foundation

Child Care Aware of West Central Arkansas (CCA WCA) is out there quietly making sure Arkansas kids are getting the best start they can. From supporting early education center directors, to training staff, to classroom supplies, CCA WCA is behind the scenes making things better. And, over the past three years, Hot Springs Area Community Foundation has been supporting their efforts. This past year, the focus was on resources that use songs and music for better brain development.

“Activities like songs help young children learn. A kid can pick up a song easily and remember it, sometimes for a lifetime,” said Melanie Jackson, program coordinator for CCA WCA. “Rhythm bells and sticks help kids keep beat with the music and learn cause and effect. The kids love to move around and dance with scarves. This is all foundational to building rich language experiences for future reading skills.”

Childcare centers across Garland and Montgomery Counties received a classroom “kit” filled with music-related books, instruments, and dancing props.

But CCA WCA doesn’t just deliver classroom supplies. Their staff train pre-K directors and classroom teachers on how to better use their spaces and teaching tools to build better brains and how they can make low-cost or no-cost classroom supplies on their own. 

Remember “There was an old lady who swallowed a fly?” Thanks to CCA WCA, teachers learn to use props like an old lady cut-out that has a clear stomach for teachers to drop visuals of all the wild things that she eats. Staff demonstrate the prop, the visuals, and how to use it with a song to help children learn, understand, and retain language lessons. Their office even has a model classroom to help demonstrate how classrooms can be set up to make learning fun and support language and brain development.    

CCA WCA serves early childhood education centers across 13 counties in west central Arkansas providing training, classroom resources, and technical support. 

Click here to learn more about Child Care Aware WCA.

Early literacy and third grade reading is a strong predictor of success in school, along with better opportunities and wage earnings after graduation. Arkansas Community Foundation works closely local organizations like CCA WCA, with the goal of ensuring that families and children have what they need to grow and learn. 

When Mac Van Horn came to Arkansas in the early 1960s, he was looking to build his life and family. He fell in love with Russellville, began building his business and quickly started giving back. “My dad lived and modeled the idea that if you want a community to treat you well, you have to treat your community well—there is a back-and-forth relationship,” said Scott Van Horn, Mac’s son.

Mac understood the value of a local community foundation, and in 2001 was the founding board chair for Pope County Community Foundation. With his reputation as an effective community leader, he helped raise matching funds and rallied others to join him on the local board. As Mac slowed down in his later years, his son, Scott, stepped in to provide leadership. Now a third generation Van Horn is charting a path to serve the Foundation’s board with Scott’s son, Dalton.

“Dad was a start-up guy and could get things going and get people to help,” Scott said. “In addition to the Community Foundation, he was actively involved with the Red Coats for the Chamber of Commerce, the Jaycees, and many other organizations. He liked to support local causes, and he gave to statewide efforts too. He and my mother drilled into us how we should always give back.”

Along with the Pope County affiliate, Scott and Dalton support some of the other causes that Mac started. “Dad was very active with Camp Caudle in the early years and several other local organizations that helped kids,” said Scott. “We still sponsor many organizations that help youth, including Royal Family Kids Camp for foster kids — also a grantee of the Community Foundation.”

The youngest Van Horn has been on the Pope County Community Foundation board since June of 2024. “The affiliate is growing and working to address local needs,” he said. “We just completed our fall grant cycle where we focused on food security and early literacy programs. And in the last fiscal year, we awarded nearly $125,000 in grants to area nonprofits.”

Dalton and Nikki Van Horn along with Karen and Scott Van Horn reside in Dover, Arkansas.

Dalton has also helped in fundraising for many local nonprofits, including MARVA Workshop, a resale store in Russellville, and grantee of the Community Foundation. “MARVA provides meaningful work and services to adults with developmental disabilities. When I walk through that facility and see the faces and hear the pride in what they do, it is a great feeling to be a part of that.

“My parents are the most generous people I’ve ever seen,” Dalton continued. “They did things that no one knew about, and they weren’t doing it for any publicity or praise. Since I stepped into the family business, I take seriously our family’s generations of service here. My grandparents and parents were deeply committed to giving back and being community leaders, through the Pope County Community Foundation or other nonprofits. I am proud to be part of that legacy.”