Page 29 – Arkansas Community Foundation

Little Rock, Ark. (April 5, 2020) – Arkansas Community Foundation announces a partnership with Gov. Asa Hutchinson asking Arkansans to make donations to the COVID-19 Relief Fund to assist in pandemic relief. All donations made to this fund will be granted to Arkansas nonprofits working to serve the state’s most vulnerable populations and those disproportionately affected by the coronavirus and its economic fallout.

Donations can be made online at www.arcf.org/covid19 or by mailing a check to Arkansas Community Foundation, 5 Allied Drive, Suite 51110, Little Rock, AR 72202.

This fund was created March 18, 2020, and the Governor is helping the Community Foundation promote the fund so that Arkansans are aware of how they can help each other.

“Hardships have been placed on many Arkansans because of this public health emergency. Tens of thousands of Arkansans have recently filed unemployment claims, and there are great needs in many Arkansas communities. Arkansans have been incredibly responsive to the needs of their neighbors by volunteering assistance in this time of crisis. I am pleased that the State is partnering with Arkansas Community Foundation to support the COVID-19 relief fund, a designated fund for Arkansans to donate and help other Arkansans,” said Gov. Hutchinson at a press conference today.

“This is why we exist—to help Arkansas communities,” said Heather Larkin, President and CEO of Arkansas Community Foundation. “This fund is an efficient way to bring together donors with Arkansas nonprofits. We know that even during difficult times, Arkansans are still generous. We are honored that the Governor considers the Community Foundation the most trusted organization to help provide guidance for those able to help.”

Several Arkansas entities have already stepped up to begin helping. Over $2 million dollars have been pledged or donated by the following:

Arkansas Community Foundation
Entergy Charitable Foundation
Riggs CAT
Tyson Family Foundation
Walmart Foundation
Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation
Windgate Charitable Foundation
Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation

The Community Foundation hopes that other foundations, businesses and individuals across. the state will rise to the occasion and donate whatever they can during these unprecedented. times. These donations will provide Arkansas nonprofits with the ability to continue their valuable work to meet community needs.

Since March 20, 2020, the Community Foundation has issued 175 grants to nonprofits helping with pandemic relief and is currently reviewing additional applications on a rolling basis. The grant portal is still open for nonprofits to apply. The fund will support community needs in human services, food, health, housing and education. Grants will be made to nonprofit agencies that meet both immediate and long-term needs related to the impact of COVID-19 in Arkansas.

With our network of 28 affiliates offices around the state and in collaboration with other nonprofits, Foundation leadership will be closely monitoring how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our communities and may deploy additional resources to best meet the evolving needs.

Nonprofits can find more information by visiting www.arcf.org/covid19.

Annually, the Foundation typically issues about 2,500 grants and about $20 million dollars to Arkansas nonprofits.

Little Rock, Ark. (March 20, 2020) – Arkansas Community Foundation is accepting proposals for $1,000 mini-grants for organizations responding to the immediate needs of vulnerable populations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. These grants will help organizations maintain their operations and respond to increased demand from clients during this first phase of pandemic relief. Nonprofit organizations with 501c3 status, churches, hospitals, schools or government entities based anywhere in Arkansas are eligible to apply. Priority will be given to organizations that:

Provide human services and emergency assistance (for example, food,
shelter, transportation, living expenses, rent/utility assistance, etc.)
Primarily serve vulnerable populations, including children who are out of school and families without childcare, people who have lost a source of income due to the pandemic, people who are at high risk medically, people who are homeless or incarcerated and individuals who lack paid sick leave or health insurance.
Disseminate factual safety and response information to vulnerable communities such as non-English speaking residents, rural residents, senior citizens, etc.

Organizations may use the funding to Support clients’ basic needs
Cover costs associated with decreased staffing or remote-working due to quarantine/social
distancing
Provide mental health programming for clients or staff
Coordinate/facilitate in-kind donations to sites and organizations that provide human services
and serve vulnerable populations.

This is not an exhaustive list, and other needs will be considered.
Businesses and individuals are not eligible to apply; however, the Community Foundation will consider grants to nonprofit organizations that provide direct financial assistance to individuals.
Visit www.arcf.org/COVID19 to apply online. Mini-grant applications will be accepted and grants will be awarded on a rolling basis until available grant funds are expended. All grants will be awarded in the form of a $1,000 award for general operating support. Organizations may receive only one mini-grant at this time.

Arkansas Community Foundation offers tools to help Arkansans protect, grow and direct their charitable dollars as they learn more about community needs. By making grants and sharing knowledge, the Community Foundation supports charitable programs that work for Arkansas and partners to create new initiatives that address the gaps. Since 1976, the Community Foundation has provided more than $250 million in grants and partnered with thousands of Arkansans to help them improve our neighborhoods, our towns and our entire state. Contributions to the Community Foundation, its funds and any of its 29 affiliates are fully tax
deductible.

Little Rock, Ark. (March 18, 2020) – Arkansas Community Foundation announces the creation of the COVID-19 Relief Fund. The fund will be used to direct resources to Arkansas nonprofits that are working to serve the state’s most vulnerable populations and those disproportionately affected by the coronavirus and its economic fallout.

Donations can be made online at www.arcf.org/covid19, by mailing a check to Arkansas Community Foundation, 5 Allied Drive, Suite 51110, Little Rock, AR 72202 or by contacting the Community Foundation directly at 888-220-2723.

The Community Foundation will work locally through its network of 28 affiliate offices around the state serving all 75 counties. The fund will support community needs identified by our nonprofit partners in human services, food, health, housing and education. Grants will be made to
nonprofit agencies that meet both immediate and long-term needs related to the impact of the virus in Arkansas.

“This is why we exist—to help communities. This fund is an efficient way to get quick relief funds to local nonprofits serving the people most affected by the pandemic. During these uncertain times, it’s more important than ever that we come together to respond to the needs of our state.” said Heather Larkin, President and CEO of Arkansas Community Foundation.

As the situation continues to evolve, prioritization of needs will likely change. Some potential needs have been identified for the more vulnerable populations:

Healthcare nonprofits that may need additional funding to provide safety equipment for their employees and volunteers
Organizations providing emergency childcare
Food pantries and groups providing mobile meal delivery for children, the elderly and other vulnerable populations
School systems attempting to meet the needs of their students remotely
Human service agencies providing assistance with rent, utilities and other basic expenses for individuals who have lost a source of income

Foundation leadership will be closely monitoring how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our communities and may deploy additional resources to best meet the evolving needs. Nonprofits can find more information by contacting the Foundation at 888-220-2723.

Arkansas Community Foundation offers tools to help Arkansans protect, grow and direct their charitable dollars as they learn more about community needs. By making grants and sharing knowledge, the Community Foundation supports charitable programs that work for Arkansas and partners to create new initiatives that address the gaps. Since 1976, the Community Foundation has provided more than $250 million in grants and partnered with thousands of Arkansans to help them improve our neighborhoods, our towns and our entire state. Contributions to the Community Foundation, its funds and any of its 28 affiliates are fully tax
deductible.

Community Foundation Investment and Grant Help Crossett Trucking Firm Thrive

Antonio Reed, owner of ATV Trucking in Crossett, was struggling with three big factors that were eroding the customer base for his small business in the spring of 2020 — the COVID-19 pandemic, the closure of the local Georgia Pacific paper mill and having fewer goods to haul. All this combined left several of his dump trucks and tractors idle.

“I found out about FORGE and their loans in 2017 through the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. At that time, I used the loan funding for improvements on my trucks,” Reed said. “This year I was able to get a FORGE Rapid Response Loan to help keep us moving during the pandemic. It made a huge difference when I needed it most.”

Arkansas-based FORGE provides access to affordable capital for small businesses and nonprofits that are financially viable but have difficulty obtaining conventional loans. In 2017, the Community Foundation made an investment with FORGE. From this investment, FORGE provides low-interest loans to businesses and nonprofits. As these loans are repaid, they can be re-deployed to help other borrowers.

Because of FORGE and the Community Foundation, both of Reed’s loans were made possible.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, FORGE knew that many of the small businesses it supports would need additional capital to survive. They contacted the Community Foundation for a grant so FORGE could give extra aid to small businesses in 2020.

“In addition to Antonio Reed, 24 small businesses from 12 Arkansas counties were helped by our Rapid Response Loan Program funded in part by the Community Foundation grant,” said Philip Adams, executive director of the FORGE Community Loan Fund.

Reed, 53, is a life-long resident of Crossett who started ATV Trucking in 2012. He studied business administration at the University of Central Arkansas and is currently taking a diesel mechanic course. Reed has two daughters and three grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys going to the lakes in Hot Springs with his family.

By the summers end in 2020, Reed’s business was again on the move hauling rock, dirt, sand, gravel and asphalt. Though things had not ramped up to pre-COVID volumes, thanks to FORGE and Arkansas Community Foundation, Reed is still optimistic about the future of his company.

Fort Smith native and former Western Arkansas Community Foundation board member Talicia Richardson came home after living away for 20 years to become the executive director of the 64.6 Downtown nonprofit.

A woman who is always looking for ways to give back to her community, Talicia was attracted to serving on the Community Foundation’s local board because its goal of improving communities through smart giving was aligned with both her personal and professional goals.

“Philanthropy is important because it bridges the gap between public engagement and private resources,” she said. “It can come from individuals or organizations that recognize community needs and work to meet those needs.”

Public engagement is one of Talicia’s special talents. At 64.6 Downtown, they practice creative placemaking. Placemaking is a hands-on approach for improving a neighborhood, city or region and inspires people to collectively reimagine or reinvent public spaces as the heart of every community. They do this by bringing events to town, creating parks and fostering an appreciation of artists and artworks. 64.6 Downtown works to transform community assets into economic development opportunities. “Unexpected” is one successful example of creative placemaking that has drawn international artists to town for a week to generate experiences downtown.

“We draw attention and awareness to arts and culture,” she said. “That drives tourism, plus draws the eyes of people who want to do business downtown.”

To learn more about the work being done at the Western Arkansas Community Foundation, you can follow them on Facebook or contact westernarkansas@arcf.org.

Eva Terry, Development Director
Peace at Home Family Shelter
Fayetteville, AR

Guest Blog by Eva Terry,
Peace at Home Family Shelter

Peace at Home Family Shelter provides safe shelter and services for victims of domestic violence and their children in Northwest Arkansas. As a safety precaution, we do not publicly share our location. This can make it harder for people to know about us, which is why we are excited about the new Arkansas Nonprofit Directory powered by GuideStar.

As a nonprofit, we are proud to be doing good work. But, we also strive to do good work well. Peace at Home programs help adults and children escape abusive homes and build new lives. The Arkansas Nonprofit Directory gives us a tool to share about these programs and their impact.

While many people do not know where we are located, anyone can view our profile on the website. When you look at our profile, you will find: financial reports, a list of board members, program descriptions, metrics and goals.

People in our community can use this tool to learn about Peace at Home. They can also explore our financial documents and feel confident knowing how dollars are spent at our agency. All of this makes it easier for people to know if they would like to be a part of our mission.

Through the Arkansas Nonprofit Directory and our Platinum profile, Peace at Home can say: This is who we are. This is what we do. If this work is important to you, please join us.

Explore charitable organizations working on behalf of the causes and communities closest to you at arcf.org/directory.

An online, searchable database of Arkansas nonprofit organizations is available from Arkansas Community Foundation at arcf.org/directory.

“If you are considering a year-end gift and thinking about where your dollars could make the most difference, you can use the Arkansas Nonprofit Directory to explore and vet charitable organizations to identify causes that interest you,” said Heather Larkin, Arkansas Community Foundation president and CEO.

Made possible by support from the Walmart Foundation, the online directory of 501c3 organizations is powered by Candid (formerly known as GuideStar), a national organization that provides data and research on nonprofit organizations. The database is searchable by: county; organizational characteristics like cause area, type of nonprofit; transparency rating; and financial characteristics like revenue size or assets pulled directly from an organization’s IRS Form 990 and updated on a monthly basis.

Clicking the names of individual organizations in the directory reveals more information like the organization’s mailing address, mission/cause area and, and in some cases, an enhanced profile including annual reports, videos, photos, goals/objectives, metrics and board lists. Information can be copied and downloaded to share with others in the community.

“As more information is added to the listings for Arkansas charities, the directory will be even more beneficial,” Larkin said. “Arkansas nonprofits interested in updating or enhancing their profiles in the directory can visit https://learn.guidestar.org/update-nonprofit-report.”

Candid offers a program that incentivizes nonprofits to share information about themselves beyond the bare minimum that is included in the IRS database. Nonprofits can claim their profile in order to gain access to it, edit it and add supplemental information they want to share with potential donors.

The more supplemental information the nonprofits provide, the higher their ”Seal of Transparency,” a rating badge indicating they’ve taken action to share information about themselves.

For more information, explore the Arkansas Nonprofit Directory.

Diane and Steve Higginbothom’s family grows cotton in Marianna but they grow more than crops through the Lee County Community Foundation. What started as a fund benefiting the local pound and honoring Diane’s birthday has since become a diverse charitable fund that benefits a host of Marianna’s nonprofits.

You can find a half-dozen rescue dogs and cats most anytime at their home in the middle of Marianna’s downtown. The Higginbothoms both love animals, and despite their sons’ misgivings, they don’t plan to stop taking in rescues anytime soon. In fact, they’ve built a miniature house in their back yard that keeps the dogs and cats safe when they can’t be in the main house.

“The city has an officer at the pound and takes care of the facility. But every animal there has issues, and many come in critical condition. In addition to funding veterinary bills for the dogs in the pound, we volunteer to take dogs and cats to be spayed and have exams,” Diane said. “It has become a tradition in town that many children ask for bags of dog food for the pound on their birthdays.”

A former board member of the Lee County Community Foundation, Steve knows the importance of smart charitable giving.

“It is quite obvious when you look at what the Foundation has done in 28 years,” he said. “Thousands of dollars in grants have gone into the community to do good. The effects are exponential on what the funds have done to help nonprofits operate and sponsor activities in our impoverished county. I also see the Community Foundation helping bring our community together across racial and socio-economic lines.”

For the Higginbothoms, the Community Foundation is a family tradition. Their involvement was inspired by Steve’s uncle Charles West, one of the founders of the Lee County affiliate, who set up funds that benefit the library, historical buildings, education and more. Today Diane and Steve’s sons, West and Drew, represent a new generation of Community Foundation leaders in Lee and St. Francis counties.

The ripple effects of tax reform have meant that less than 10% of taxpayers now itemize deductions. A smart strategy for your charitable clients who want to maximize deductions under the new tax laws is to make two or more years worth of charitable contributions in a single year. Known as bunching, bundling or stacking gifts, this giving strategy can push taxpayers over the itemizing threshold to reap the benefits of deducting the full value of their donations.

Learn more about how bunching gifts in an Arkansas Community Foundation fund can help your clients achieve greater impact with their charitable giving.

Visit Advisor’s Corner for more news, tips and tools for professional advisors.

Attorneys, accountants and financial advisors hold trusted positions with philanthropic families to offer not only suggestions for tax planning in support of favorite causes, but also to be aware of perspectives that will make the charitable giving experience meaningful for all members of the family. Indeed, not all members of a single family will see philanthropy in the same way.

Here are tips for working with three common points of view within a single donor family.

Impact-Focused. Family members who have a strong impact focus will be interested in learning more about how to help favorite nonprofits better communicate the outcomes of charitable investments. A recent study by Oracle NetSuite reported only 29% of nonprofit organizations are able to effectively measure the results of dollars invested. News like this is very much on the minds of impact-focused family members.

Legacy-Focused. Most families have at least one member whose top concern relates to establishing charitable values and passing them along to the next generation. Family members like this are no doubt seeing behaviors in younger generations that are different from their own. For example, research indicates that 10% of Gen Z want to start their own nonprofit organization. Keeping up with trends like this will help you counsel legacy-focused members of your client families.

Investment-Focused. Family members interested in dollars and cents are still going to ask about tax planning, which assets to give to charity, and how to time gifts to optimize tax benefits under the current laws. As you address these issues, it’s a good idea to also share the perspectives of legacy-focused and impact-focused family members. This helps investment-focused family members see the big picture and focus on the holistic elements of the family’s entire philanthropy plan.

Arkansas Community Foundation is your partner as you work with families like these and the variety of personalities that come along with them. With our expertise, we can assist you in navigating family philanthropy dynamics and structure meetings to ensure all voices are heard. Drawing on our research into community priorities and important social issues, we can help you build multi-generational relationships with targeted nonprofits in the community that are making a difference in your clients’ chosen areas of focus.

To learn more about how Arkansas Community Foundation can help you help your clients when it comes to family philanthropy, click here.

Visit Advisor’s Corner for more news, tips and tools for professional advisors.