History
Download History of the Community Foundation
The Community Foundation of Washington County MD, Inc. was officially founded in 1997 with a gift of $9,000 from Mr. Merle Elliott. Since that time the Foundation has expanded to over 170 funds, with assets of $22 million. Since the first grant in 1998, over $7 million has been granted to the Washington County community and beyond.
Chronological History
Early 1900's
- 1914: The first community foundation was formed in Cleveland, Ohio by banker and lawyer Frederick H. Goff. Mr. Goff had a vision to pool the charitable resources of Cleveland's philanthropists, living and dead, into a permanent endowment. Community leaders would then forever distribute the interest that the trust’s resources would accrue. And thus, the first community foundation was formed.
- 1919: Within five years of the founding of the Cleveland Foundation, similar foundations sprung up in Chicago, Boston, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Buffalo.
- 1921: Over 30 community foundations have been formed in the United States representing most major cities.
- 1944: The National Committee of Foundations & Trusts was formed and with the eventual inclusion of other types of foundations became the Council on Foundations.
1960's
- 1969: The Tax Reform Act of 1969 introduced new legislation and regulations which provided community foundations with new tax advantages that were not afforded to private foundations. Community foundations were considered to be public charities as they were monitored by the public. Finalized in 1976, the new regulatory advantages spurred foundation growth as communities across the United Sates began to see the potential benefits in having publicly “owned” permanent endowment.
1980's
- Mid-1980’s: The question of, “How will Washington County remember us?” was asked by Merle Elliott, a businessman and community leader, to a group of other local leaders meeting at the Hagerstown, MD fairgrounds. From this conversation the need and interest of forming a community foundation was formed. Mr. Elliott described a community foundation as “a permanent institution that will serve our community for many generations to come.”Describing the benefits of giving to a community foundation verses giving directly to a nonprofit organization, Mr. Elliott said, “In survival mode, it’s easy for an organization to invade its pot of money to pay for operating expenses. But a community foundation is committed to the notion that it won’t be invaded...When money comes to us, we’re responsible for it and it doesn’t get used except for the way intended. If you give to a community foundation, that money will be there.”
1990's
- Early 1990’s: The idea of a community foundation in Washington County, MD gained local commitment and enthusiasm. Michael G. Day, a local elder law attorney with training in estate planning, became a catalyst to help the effort stay on track. Mr. Day took his personal observations and message to local groups and clubs. He also spoke privately to key individuals asking for their support and help.
- Mid 1990’s: A number of key people clearly understood the benefits of a community foundation and urged Mr. Elliott to move forward. One of these key players was John M. Waltersdorf, president of Tristate Electrical Supply Co., and chairman of the Greater Hagerstown Committee. Mr. Waltersdorf immediately saw the value of Mr. Elliott’s idea and did what he could from his position with the Committee to help. Mr. Robert Kenney, a retired Texaco senior executive, was also inspired by Mr. Elliott and Mr. Waltersdorf’s enthusiasm. Mr. Kenney volunteered much of his time as one of the trustees and then accepted minimal pay as the organization’s first part-time director. Mr. Kenney said, “We were flying on air. We just started with nothing and gradually came along.”
- 1995: Everyone’s hard work began to pay off as Mr. Day filed the articles of incorporation with the state of Maryland and the Community Foundation of Washington County MD, Inc. became incorporated on November 3, 1995. The Foundation used the next two years to get organized.
- 1997: Although it had been about a decade from conception to birth, the Community Foundation finally launched in November of 1997 during National Community Foundation Week. Merle Elliott was the first chairman of the board. The new Foundation already had nearly $100,000 in assets at the time and planned to begin making grants to local nonprofits once its unrestricted endowment reached $500,000.
- December 1998: The Foundation was able to grant almost $19,000 to 32 local nonprofit organizations during its first year of operations. The Foundation also held assets of $200,000.
- 1999: Joyce Heptner was hired as Executive Director of the Foundation. During this time, grants reached an accumulative total of $100,000.
2000
- The Hagerstown Washington County Industrial Foundation Inc. (CHIEF) donated $250,000 to the Foundation to establish a fund for economic development, community betterment, and workforce training. That same year, a couple, whose identity was not released, donated $2 million to the Foundation, bringing the Foundation’s assets to $3 million.
- The People’s Choice Awards is established as the Foundation’s signature event. This annual event honors Washington County’s unsung heroes, the individuals who better their community, but don’t generally seek or receive public credit. Sponsorships of the event allow for three $5,000 endowments to be created in the honoree’s name and designated to the nonprofit of their choice. As of 2010, 31 individuals and two couples have been honored.
2001
- The Maryland Community Foundation Association is formed at the Community Foundation of Washington County MD, Inc. is accepted as a charter member.
2002
- Brad Sell was appointed Executive Director of the Foundation.
- The Foundation distributed $245,981 in grants to local nonprofit organizations—an increase of 80 percent over the previous year—and reached assets of nearly $6 million held in 78 different funds.
2003
- The Community Foundation’s Unrestricted Grants are established with an initial amount of $25,372 awarded to six nonprofit agencies. Funding for these grants is provided through four funds held at the Community Foundation and include: 1) Community Endowment Fund, 2) Pauline Anderson Foundation 3) Waltersdorf-Henson Endowment Fund and 4) Waltersdorf Family Community Fund. As of February 2011, over $484,500 has been awarded.
- Kristy Smith is hired as the Foundation’s first Program Manager.
2004
- October 2004: The Foundation held a press conference to announce its biggest donation to date and to offer a landmark challenge to local nonprofits. The Community Foundation was partnering with the John M. Waltersdorf Family and the Richard A. Henson Foundation to provide a $5 million, one-to-one match to funds raised by nonprofit agencies participating in the challenge. The Waltersdorf-Henson Endowment Challenge Campaign will ultimately inject $10 million into the efforts of local nonprofit agencies over the next five years.
2005
- June 30, 2005: The Waltersdorf-Henson Endowment Challenge Campaign kicked off and the 16 participating organizations were announced to the public.
- 2005-2010: The participating organizations of the Waltersdorf-Henson Endowment Challenge Campaign are faced with raising $5 million to be matched by the John M. Waltersdorf family and the Richard A. Henson Foundation. Despite the economic downturn, all of the organizations met their goals by the end of the challenge.
- Internationally, community foundations are recognized in 46 countries with close to 1200 individual foundations.
2007
- September 2007: The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) was introduced to the Washington County community and sponsored by the Foundation and the NEA. This event promoted the literary reading of “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee and included movie screenings, book discussions and promotion of the book to local school students.
- The Community Foundation celebrated the 10th anniversary of its first grant. In just 10 years, the Foundation had grown from $9,000 in contributions and $0 in grants, to nearly $3 million in contributions and $733,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations. The Foundation also held a total of $13.6 million in invested assets.
- The IMPACT magazine was introduced to showcase the success of the Foundation in its first ten years and to highlight the Foundation’s annual report. As a result of the magazine’s success, it has become an annual publication released during the month of November.
- The Community Foundation is recognized as meeting the national standards for U.S. community foundations as set forth through the Council on Foundations.
2008
- The Mary K. Bowman Historical and Fine Arts Trust dissolved and turned their assets of $1 million over to the Community Foundation to manage. Their advisory board remains intact to continue the grant process.
- Joyce Hetzer is hired as the Foundation’s first Finance Manager.
- The Community Foundation reaches $14.2 million in assets and is able to grant $840,000.
2009
- The Foundation adopted a new investment allocation model and hired Mason Investment Advisory Services to manage the endowment funds.
- The executive directors of both the United Way and the Community Foundation became ex-officio members of each other’s board of trustees.
- A consultant is hired to coordinate and document a strategic plan for the Foundation to be implemented over the next few years.
- April 2009: The Big Read is promoted throughout Washington County with the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Events and programs included a Gatsby Garden Party, a jazz performance entitled Swingin’ in the Park and a comparison of hip hop music and jazz in the local schools.
- The Foundation celebrated the 10th anniversary of the People’s Choice Awards.
- Assets of the Foundation reached $15.2 million and grant awards reached over $1 million.
2010
- The Foundation’s first strategic plan is approved and implementation begins.
- Collaboration with the United Way of Washington County begins to create and implement the first Strategic Community Impact Plan (SCIP), a long range strategic plan to improve the quality of life in Washington County, MD. www.strategicwashingtoncounty.org. Key areas include people, family and community.
- Marsha Jackson is hired as the Foundation’s first Marketing and Communications Director.
- April 2010: The Big Read was held for the third year and featured the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Numerous events around the area included dramatic readings at local schools, discussions at libraries and even a blood drive entitled “The Big Read meets the Big Bleed.” Copies of books were provided to promote enlightenment through reading.
- September 2, 2010: The Community Foundation lost a true champion and benefactor when John M. Waltersdorf passed away at the age of 84. In total, Mr. Waltersdorf contributed over $6.5 million and helped establish over 20 funds at the Community Foundation.
- December 2010: December 2010 marked the official end of the Waltersdorf-Henson Endowment Challenge Campaign with all 16 organizations meeting their goals. At the end of 2010, $341,000 had already been distributed from the campaign.
- The Foundation saw its best single year of investment performance in its 13 year history with assets totaling $18.3 million and grant awards totaling $887,000.
Today
- The Community Foundation now holds over 170 funds with over $22 million in assets. Over $7 million has been distributed to the Washington County area and beyond.
- In the United States, community foundations serve tens of thousands of donors, administer more than $31 billion in charitable funds, and address the core concerns of nearly 700 communities and regions.
Future
- The funds of the Waltersdorf-Henson Endowment Challenge Campaign will begin to reach maturity in the next few years and as they do, approximately $500,000 will be awarded in the subsequent years to the 16 organizations that participated in the challenge. This annual distribution will help to create and sustain a healthy and vibrant community.
