Private philanthropy can make a crucial difference in sustaining and enriching the quality of life in Vermont. As a statewide fund, The Vermont Community Foundation offers a way for donors to accomplish charitable objectives that would be difficult or impossible for them to achieve while acting alone. The Vermont Community Foundation is a public charity. As such, it may modify the terms of a gift if, over time, it becomes unworkable or impractical to fulfill the donor's original intent. This flexibility is unique to Community Foundations.
Agencies come and go.
The Vermont Community Foundation is uniquely positioned to respond to such fluid circumstances. In addition, many gifts to public charities are eligible to receive some important favored tax treatment. Public charities are also exempt from the many costly and cumbersome regulations that are imposed upon private foundations. Ultimately, however, the strength of The Vermont Community Foundation will come not only from accumulated financial resources, but from the leaders and donors who guide and shape the Foundation. In this sense, The Vermont Community Foundation is not simply a pooling of assets, but the coming together of concerned citizens.