General FAQ

What is the Key Biscayne Community Foundation?

As a community foundation, the Foundation is a hybrid between a private foundation (whose main activity is awarding grants) and a typical publicly supported charity (whose main activity is providing a service).  Like a private foundation, The Key Biscayne Community Foundation’s main activity is awarding grants.  But like other charities, we also provide community services.  We help Key Biscayners and others make effective gifts to charitable causes in Key Biscayne and around the country.  We receive our support from many people in the community rather than a single family.  We are considered a publicly supported charity and therefore receive more favorable tax treatment.

 

Discretionary Grant Focus Areas: Arts, Culture & Humanities; Education; Environment; Health; Human services; and Public & Community Development.

 

Full-time Staff: 1

 

Status: 501(c) 3 – a public charity

 

Assets under management: More than $800,000

 

Grants Awarded: More than $235,000 in grants and scholarships to more than 40 organizations and youth.

 

Some of Our Community Funds: Active Seniors on the Key, Families in Action, KB Lighthouse Run, Principals’ Coalition for the Good of the Children, KB Police Holiday Relief Fund, Chamber of Commerce Good Neighbor Award, Library Beautification Fund, Key Biscayne Athletic Scholarship Fund, Key Rats Scholarship Fund

 

Number of Funds: 22

 

Types of Funds Offered: Donor-Advised, Scholarship, Field of Interest, Designated, Undesignated, Endowed Donor-Advised, Organizational Endowment, Fiscal Sponsorship, Giving Circles

 

Who Gives to the Key Biscayne Community Foundation?

Generous individuals and families, corporations, non-profits and private foundations are among our diverse donors. Gifts can be in the form of cash, appreciated property such as securities or real estate, insurance or bequests.

 

You want to do good. We can help you do better.

There are lots of choices today in philanthropic giving. Generous people are turning to their community foundation to make their giving more effective, permanent and creative. Here are a (partial) list of the advantages and approaches to working with KBCF:

·        Accessibility: You don’t need millions to be a philanthropist. There is no minimum amount required to start a fund. With the Key Biscayne Community Foundation anyone can be a philanthropist.

·        Flexibility: You can set up a donor-advised fund, a scholarship fund, tailor your gifts to a particular field or trust them to the Foundation’s discretion to meet emerging and emergency needs. You can create a short-term fund to help a charity today, or a permanent endowment for their needs tomorrow – or a combination of the two. Your gift works now -- and forever.

·        Perpetuate the name of someone dear to you: Years from now, organizations or deserving students will be receiving grants from your fund in memory of a loved one.

·        Responsiveness: You’ll find real people answering our phone. You’ll see our faces on our website. You’ll meet us at Foundation events. You’ll find that our board and staff are available to answer your questions.

·        Inclusivity: Our grantmaking, development and programming efforts focus on all segments of our community.

·        Credibility: We know the territory. We understand the non-profit world -- and realize that the best way to serve these organizations is to help them become more self-reliant by awarding grants that support their general operations.

·        Permanence: Community foundations build their endowments to provide community aid in perpetuity. Gifts made today will not only increase in value many times over, but also support unforeseen community needs for generations yet to come.