Success Stories

Region: Northeast

Seacoast Women's Giving Circle: a wave of philanthropy washes over New Hampshire's Seacoast

When Anne Rouse Sudduth gathered 12 women in her living room in April 2006, it wasn't to discuss the latest novel on Oprah's book club list over cheesecake. Determined to pool their skills, energy and financial resources, the women formed the Seacoast Women's Giving Circle to make a difference in southern New Hampshire's Seacoast region. Not content to simply write a check for a local charity, giving circle members become engaged in emerging community issues through collective giving and grassroots action.  Most importantly, notes founder Rouse Sudduth, giving circle members want to connect with like-minded people to practice community leadership.

The Lenny Zakim Fund: a legacy of building bridges

Most people facing cancer wouldn’t dream of embarking on an ambitious new project to aggressively promote social justice. But then, human rights hero Lenny Zakim was not like most people.  When he dreamed, he dreamed big. When Lenny was diagnosed in 1995 with multiple myeloma, a rare bone marrow cancer, he called upon his many friends and supporters to help establish The Lenny Zakim Fund.  The Fund’s mission is to reach out to groups “below the radar screen” of large charitable foundations and government, and to provide financial support, technical assistance and networking opportunities.  Focused on individuals and grassroots organizations within a 50-mile radius of Boston, the Fund is especially supportive of programs that build alliances across racial, religious and ethnic lines.

The Discount Foundation: a small foundation focused on big impact

“What is special about Discount is that it believes that people in the community who are directly experiencing poverty have a fundamental insight into what’s happening in their lives, their families and their communities,” notes Henry Allen, executive director of the Discount Foundation, adding that the heart of Discount’s strategy is developing leaders from within. 

“Leadership development is all about drawing on people’s first-hand experiences, and trusting that they have the ability to work collectively to change the situations they confront. There’s nothing theoretical about it.”  Established in 1977, Discount supports community-based organizations striving to inspire and organize the working poor to improve their living conditions and economic opportunities.

SmartLink and Willary Foundation make a difference in Scranton

Peter Scranton believes that sometimes, a little serendipity goes a long way in bringing people together to make lasting community change.  The Foundation is especially interested in projects that promote leadership, and can have a ripple effect in a community. “We try to be innovative, to fund projects in seed mode that could lead to more money from other donors,” explains Peter. “We focus on the arts, the environment, and community development.” Like many small family foundations, with great intentions, the Willary Foundation just needed a bit of direction and sound advice -- and a bit of serendipity.

Frances Hollis Brain Foundation provides for human needs, while bolstering family ties

When David Brain established the Frances Hollis Brain Foundation, his intention was to help people who had not been as lucky as he had.  He sought to help others get the “step-up” they needed to improve their own lives. Established after selling a company that provides dental care as an employee benefit, the founder's intentions were broad, but impassioned.

“My father spent his whole life in the insurance field, and late in his career, devised a means to provide low-cost quality dental care using a managed care model.  The company prospered; and by the time he sold it, managed care had become a very hot idea.” David's daughter Nancy explains.

“My father is a very hard worker, who feels there are a lot of people who work hard, but aren’t as fortunate as he was,” explains Nancy Brain, who with her sister, Diane Bryant, administers the family foundation.  Together, Nancy and Diane have translated their father’s desire to provide people with a “step up” to a giving strategy focused on organizations that provide for “basic human needs.” 

By focusing on human needs, the foundation's support has run the gamut from service organizations like Literacy Volunteers and Habitat for Humanity to making bets on new initiatives, aimed at helping disadvantaged people.

Jovid Foundation's focus on job training is one "secret" to successful giving

Joan and David Maxwell established the Jovid Foundation in 1991 with a goal to help the poor in Washington, DC move out of poverty. To do so, the foundation supports organizations that focus on job training and employment. With a focus on one geographic area and a single issue, the Maxwells offer an example of focused and disciplined giving. Yet, the Jovid Foundation does not shy away from risk, either.

Adams Trust offers trustees flexibility to link mental health, the arts and stronger communities

Shortly before his death in 1999, Charles Francis Adams visited the trustees of his foundation and informed them that he had completed his philanthropic obligations.  He wished to pass the mantle and urged them to continue the foundation's work by supporting good organizations and leaders. And with that, the former CEO of Raytheon Company and direct descendent of two U.S. Presidents, left a substantial, yet flexible and somewhat daunting legacy.

Ottinger Foundation: Strong Family Vision + Innovative Executive Directors = Success

Since the mid-1950s, the Ottinger Foundation has employed a variety of strategies to make an impact on issues the family cares passionately about, including the root causes of poverty. One key to the foundation's success has been selecting executive directors that are willing and able to take on the most challenging issues--collaboratively and ambitiously. Another has been finding courageous community leaders at the fore-front of innovation.

Helping donors achieve impact

You have questions, when it comes to your community giving.  All over the country, your fellow donors have similar goals and face similar challenges. Learn how other donors are navigating their way to effective, satisfying community giving.

David and Sandy Perloff put passion for public education on a fast track

An engineer in Silicon Valley, David Perloff found himself on the winning end of a high tech merger a number of years ago. The couple decided they would use some of their earnings to create a charitable fund.  The Perloff Family Foundation was the result.  “We both got incredible benefits from public education,” says David's wife Sandy, “and we wanted to return the favor.”

The Gulf Coast: Lessons on Community Building and Re-building

Hurricanes and subsequent levy breaks and flooding devastated the Gulf Coast in August 2005.  This natural and man-made disaster was particularly destructive in low-income communities.  Years later, communities continue to re-build and engage all residents in envisioning a new future for the region.  Donors like you, from the Gulf Coast region and around the country, have made a real difference in shaping a brighter, more equitable future for the Gulf Coast.  Along the way, lessons have been learned which can help instruct community building efforts all over the United States.

Donor passions and diverse board enrich Douty Foundation giving

Having lived through turbulent times of social crisis and change, Alfred and Mary Douty found themselves transformed.  In 1968, these personal experiences inspired them to found The Douty Foundation and to focus their giving in disadvantaged communities.  With no children, the couple saw their giving as a way of carrying on their commitments to justice and opportunity for low-income communities.  Despite some trepidation, they opted to serve those who struggled most in Greater Philadelphia and surrounding counties.

Melville Charitable Trust sees giving as venture capital

Charged by his dying mother to discover a mission for the fledgling Melville Charitable Trust, Frank Melville agreed, with one stipulation: he wasn't interested in supporting “horse shows and bad art.” With little background in philanthropy, Mr. Melville wondered how his small family foundation could truly have an impact in his community.

To Bill Zimmerman, giving is both professonal and personal priority

Bill Zimmerman's family instilled in him from a young age that giving back to one's community is a critical part of keeping one's self and one's community strong.  Today, as a resident of Peaks Island, Maine, and a principal owner of a successful computer technology business, Zimmerman puts this value into practice.  When a senior housing project came to his attention, Zimmerman relied upon his trust in the project's leaders and responded to his community's resourcefulness and "logic."

Wilson Foundation's Future Builds Upon Bold Past

Having transformed his father's small photographic paper company into the international corporation Xerox, Joe Wilson earned a reputation in Rochester, NY, as a thoughtful leader known for meeting challenges head-on. Since 1963, the Marie C. and Joseph C. Wilson Foundation has embodied Joe Wilson's vision and spirit. 

As a new generation of Wilsons emerged, the foundation found itself poised for new challenges and change. Recently, the Wilson Foundation revisited its goals and the role it hopes to have in Rochester's future.

Wilson Foundation chooses strategy with lasting impact

Having shepherded his father's company from a small photographic paper manufacturer to the international corporation Xerox, Joe Wilson knew how to turn vision into reality.  Together with his wife, Peggy, Joe Wilson started the Marie C. and Joseph C. Wilson Foundation to make a difference in the lives of struggling families in Rochester, New York.

Wilson Foundation makes lasting impact

In 1984, the Wilson Foundation took the greatest risk in its 20-year history by initiating Wilson Commencement Park with grants of $2 million – 20% of its total endowment. 

A multidimensional housing facility, Wilson Commencement Park provides long-term shelter and services to low-income, single-parent families in Rochester, NY.