John and Selene Devaney have a challenge for Key Biscayne -- one that could bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars for the island village.

The Key Biscayne Community Foundation has not stopped working ever since it was created by its current chairman, Jorge Mendia. However, like all new organizations, it needs even more hard work to make its programs and benefits known to the community.

Ana Gloria Rivas-Vazquez, vice-chair of KBCF, told La Isla that the foundation has several programs to benefit the community.

“We will begin to give out the first donations,” she said. “Any charitable organization can apply. We have several programs, among them the Youth Safety Program that was started with money donated by Ritz Carlton, which made a $300,000 commitment that it will pay off in several years. So any group on the island that is working in that field can apply for funds through the foundation.”

Ana Gloria explained that being a community organization gives KBCF a clear advantage in helping to target local problems.

“Private foundations sometimes have an application system, and sometimes they do not,” she said. “In contrast, community foundations always have them. Our board of directors does not say ‘We think this is the best thing for the island.’ What we say is, ‘There is money for certain things… How can we help the organizations and people that are working toward that goal?’ Also, community foundations have developed a ‘convincing’ role, which means that if there is a local problem, we can plan events to discuss it.”

Ana Gloria explained that currently the foundation has five sponsorship programs from which Key Biscayne residents can choose.

• One of them is the Discretionary Fund, which establishes a permanent fund that generates interest. That money guarantees the future of the organization. “You can do it in life or when a person passes away, but it benefits the community of Key Biscayne,” said Ana Gloria.
• Another option is the Field of Interest Fund, also a permanent fund, but this one is used for specific programs, for example targeting children.
• The third option is the Designated Fund. “In this fund the person specifies what he wants the money used for, for example a church, or a school, or any non-for-profit organization.”
• The Advised Fund is, according to Ana Gloria, the most popular option, since it works as a private foundation, but with a clear difference. “Instead of having a private foundation, which involves many requirements and little flexibility, the money in this fund can be spent on whatever the family wishes. They say that in order to set up a private foundation you have to have a certain number of millions of dollars, otherwise it makes no sense. But through our community foundation you can set up an Advice Fund with 10,000 dollars”.
• The last alternative is establishing a Scholarship Fund, which can be named to honor a loved one’s memory, or to honor a person in life. “One of the first to do it was the Youth Council, which collected funds to establish a scholarship program,” said Ana Gloria.

Ana Gloria said the foundation has American and Hispanic American members, and now wants everybody to get involved in the activities.

“The good thing about a community like Key Biscayne is that everybody can participate,” she said. “It is an incredibly diverse community, because we have people from all types of origins. The community foundation is a wonderful vehicle that can let all residents participate. It’s not like the electoral process, in which not everybody can take part due to the citizenship factor. In the community foundation everybody can play a role. They can work as volunteers; help out with the programs; be in the board of directors; join the committees; they can donate their time or their financial resources; they can help to design a program or let us know what the needs of the community are.”