What PCF Does

What is a “Community Foundation”?

Over time a community may have a variety of needs that arise and donors will want to provide financial support for those needs.  Typically, philanthropic money is passed through a 501(c)(3) for accounting and tax purposes. However, it is not always practical to create a 501(c)(3) every time a community has a charitable need.  For this reason, a Community Foundation may be established.  Even still, the administrative and legal burden to operate a 501(c)(3) and its money is laborious.  It requires a lot of expertise involving tax code, investment management, legal matters and much more.  To help rural communities manage their own local community foundations there is a larger organization here in Oklahoma called the “Communities Foundation of Oklahoma” (CFO).  CFO partners with small communities across the state to provide the labor and expertise that are necessary for managing a community foundation.

In 2007 the Piedmont Community Foundation (PCF) was established in cooperation with the Communities Foundation of Oklahoma (CFO).  Rather than creating its own 501(c)(3) the Piedmont Community Foundation chose to fall under the 501(c)(3) of the Communities Foundation of Oklahoma.  As such, PCF holds financial accounts at CFO. These accounts are how PCF is able to coordinate when donors want to provide money to charitable needs in the Piedmont Community. 

There are over 40 non-profits in the Piedmont area.  They all have their own unique purpose.  Then there are also needs that arise with no established support.  In any case, the Piedmont Community Foundation can potentially support many of these causes.  When there is no existing entity to support a one-time event—as in the case of a natural disaster or for constructing a community project—the PCF may step in to receive and distribute funds. In other instances, if a third party wishes to make donations to local Piedmont charities but lacks a good understanding of the community’s needs, then a grant process can be facilitated with PCF & CFO.

PUT SIMPLY, THE PIEDMONT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION COOPERATES WITH THE COMMUNITIES FOUNDATION OF OKLAHOMA TO RECEIVE AND DISTRIBUTE MONEY IN AN ORGANIZED METHOD FROM DONORS FOR COMMUNITY NEEDS.    

The Piedmont Community Foundation started with a grass roots initiative in 2007.  The intent was to have a community centered non-profit to help support a variety of potential community needs.  Over the years the Foundation has made donations to help the community to include support for the Library, the Piedmont Service Center, and the splash pad at the park.  Since its inception the Piedmont Community Foundation has helped distribute over $100,000.