Maryland is home to 14 community foundations, each serving a region of Maryland in unique ways. Together, as the Maryland Community Foundation Association (MCFA), they speak with one voice in promoting philanthropy to benefit towns, cities and rural areas across the state.
Community foundations build and strengthen philanthropy—and thus, communities—by making it simple and cost-efficient for individuals, families and businesses to establish philanthropic funds, learn about and invest in the needs of their communities. Community foundations are permanent sources of philanthropic dollars; they specialize in building civic endowments to serve their regions’ changing needs.
Community foundations serving Maryland hold a total of more than $700 million in philanthropic assets, and distribute about $128 million in grants each year to nonprofit organizations in their communities, addressing a wide range of issues, from education to aging, from arts to the environment. They represent the collective philanthropy of hundreds of donors, including influential corporate, philanthropic and civic leaders.
In addition to facilitating philanthropy by local donors, community foundations are uniquely positioned to…
- Partner with state and local agencies to incubate innovative programs that can be adopted by the public sector and replicated for broad benefit;
- Attract funding from national foundations to local communities;
- Act as intermediaries for federal funds;
- Administer court-ordered restitution funds.
All MCFA members are committed to rigorous national standards set by the Council on Foundations.