Blue Grass Community Foundation recently surpassed $150 million in grants and scholarships awarded since its founding in 1967. “We’re in it for the long run,” said President and CEO Lisa Adkins.
In 1967, Irene and C.W. Sulier rallied several fellow Lexington philanthropists to establish an endowment to encourage charitable giving and support local causes and charities across Central Kentucky. Inspired by C.W.’s experience living in Cleveland, home to the oldest community foundation in America, the couple believed that a similar foundation in Lexington could harness the power of collective generosity to foster a more dynamic and healthy community.
Today, Blue Grass Community Foundation (BGCF) serves communities across Central and Appalachia Kentucky, with over $225 million in assets and more than 850 unique charitable funds. The foundation collaborates with individuals, families, couples, nonprofits and businesses to achieve their philanthropic goals. It also awards grants to a diverse range of nonprofit organizations, spanning the arts, health and human services, education, parks and green spaces. “Whether it’s an individual or an organization striving to make the most charitable impact, we’re here to support them,” said BGCF President and CEO Lisa Adkins.
Since its inception, BGCF has awarded more than $150 million in grants and scholarships, with $50 million dispersed over the past three years alone. We spoke with Adkins to learn more about the community foundation’s ongoing efforts to foster more inclusive, engaged and vibrant communities.
What are some ways BGCF works with donors?
If it’s charitable, we are here to help! BGCF supports individuals, families, nonprofits and businesses that want to make a lasting charitable impact in their community. We provide guidance on current giving and charitable legacy planning, including creating one’s own charitable fund — and we work with givers of all sizes.
The majority of BGCF’s 850 charitable giving funds are donor advised. This type of fund allow donors to decide which charities to support. Donors can also establish scholarship funds, nonprofit endowment funds and more. In addition, we work with corporations such as Fooji, Tempur-Sealy and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky to help them organize their charitable giving. Corporate funds may also benefit employees experiencing personal hardship or a natural disaster. Regardless of the size of one’s philanthropic goals, the community foundation’s focus is to help our fundholders leave a positive and lasting impact on the causes and communities they care about.
Are there tax advantages to help that giving go further for both donors and recipients?
We strive to make charitable giving simple and effective. We also want to make it fun and rewarding. For our donors, yes, it can also be tax advantageous.
Any person or business contributing to a charitable fund at BGCF is eligible for a state and federal charitable tax deduction, but there can also be other advantages. For example, a person who is at least age 70-and-a- half can make a gift to many types of charitable funds at BGCF from their IRA and avoid tax on that distribution.
One of the best tax advantages is the Endow Kentucky Tax Credit program. If a person or business contributes to a permanent charitable endowment at a certified Kentucky Community Foundation, such as BGCF, they can receive up to a 20% state of Kentucky tax credit on a gift of up to $50,000 per year.
We promote ways of giving that are tax advantageous because it enables folks to give more. While we don’t replace one’s tax, legal or financial advisors, we do work alongside them to promote the most effective and impactful giving.
What are some ways BGCF works with nonprofits?
We have more than 150 nonprofit endowment funds, and we work with our nonprofit fundholders by providing training and technical assistance to help them build the skills to grow their endowments. Endowments, an ever-growing and permanent source of charitable capital, are an excellent way for nonprofit organizations to diversify their funding base and strengthen their sustainability. We provide other skill-building opportunities throughout the year and o.er a weekly e-newsletter for nonprofits, GrantStation.
We partner with national foundations, including Knight Foundation, Kresge Foundation and Walton Family Foundation, to leverage national funding opportunities to benefit the communities we serve, which often include opportunities for local nonprofits.
Many readers may be familiar with BGCF through the annual GoodGiving Challenge.
Yes! For the past 12 years, Blue Grass Community Foundation has partnered with Smiley Pete Publishing [which publishes Business Lexington] to host the GoodGiving Challenge, which has raised more than $20 million for local nonprofits. The challenge invites anyone to donate $10 or more to their selected nonprofit. BGCF, our fundholders, and partners generously contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars in matching prizes and match challenges, creating a fun and exciting atmosphere for giving. While the community foundation does not directly profit from the challenge, we continue to run it because it’s a terrific way to promote charitable giving and support local nonprofits. It speaks to the generosity of our community and helps lift the profile of hundreds of nonprofits in an engaging way.
What are some other ways BGCF collaborates on community projects?
Community leadership and engagement, including facilitating and collaborating on important community issues, is part of our DNA. For more than a decade, we’ve been focused on developing equitable green spaces in Lexington and other communities we serve. Projects like the Legacy Trail, Splash! at Charles Young Park, and Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden, to name a few, are all projects in which we’ve been integrally involved.
Often, ideas start at BGCF. On the Table and Town Branch Park are two great examples. Today, Town Branch Park is an independent, nonprofit park conservancy that will break ground in 2023 and become a centerpiece park for Lexington. But it started as a kernel of an idea fostered at BGCF for several years until it matured and could stand on its own.
On the Table is a powerful forum for community participation. It started as an annual day [now a week] of community conversations focused on a theme and common set of conversation prompts. On the Table provided community feedback directly to the mayor’s office and city council. The community foundation introduced On the Table to the region and led the effort for three years. On the Table has now transitioned to become an integrated program of CivicLex, a great partner of BGCF.
And we’re very excited about Splash!, the new splashground at Charles Young Park for kids of all abilities. It’s a project that has been more than 10 years in the making. BGCF provided long-term advocacy and leadership for this effort and in partnership with our fundholders and donors, provided critical funding to make the project possible. It’s currently under construction, with a ribbon cutting scheduled for this summer.
We’re also part of a national initiative called Reimagining the Civic Commons. It’s a national learning network — Lexington is one of 12 cities across the United States taking part — focused on equitably investing in and improving key civic assets for the entire community’s benefit. In October, 125 folks from all over the country will come to Lexington for a three-day learning journey and see firsthand the innovative work that’s been accomplished.
We’re the oldest community foundation in Kentucky — we’ve been here for 56 years — and one thing we’ve learned about these large civic projects and initiatives is that it takes time, resources, leadership, focus and many partners working together to make great things happen. We’re in it for the long run.