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The drive toward $5 million to help recession-battered charities prepare for the future picked up more steam today with the announcement of a new $500,000 gift.
The latest donation to the Community Catalyst Fund comes from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Foundation, a permanent endowment established in 2001 to benefit a broad range of charitable purposes.
The community foundation is part of the Foundation for the Carolinas, which has been a driving force behind the effort in collaboration with the United Way and the Arts & Science Council.
The chairman of the community foundation's board said the group is happy to help.
“The difficulties faced by area nonprofits in these tough economic times are well known,” said Diego Anselmo, a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police major. “We believe this gift has the potential to make a real difference for our community's nonprofits and the populations they serve.”
The Leon Levine Foundation has already given a $1 million matching gran, and last week officials announced that the C.D. Spangler Foundation, together with the Spangler family, has given $250,000.
Officials say the money will offer nonprofits grants to pursue new business models, including innovative ways of raising money, creating partnerships and initiating mergers.
The first round of grants is expected to be announced Dec. 18. Officials with the Foundation for the Carolinas said the fundraising effort is going well, and they expect to continue raising money into early 2010.
