Fast facts
Our history
Established in 1959 by community leaders as a public endowment to benefit the Greater Birmingham area forever.
Our mission
To drive positive change through grantmaking, convening and leading, as we leverage donor giving to meet community needs forever.
Our service area
Greater Birmingham region, including Blount, Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby and Walker counties.
How we work
- Leveraging gifts and bequests from charitable individuals, families and businesses
- Bringing people together from all walks of life to address community issues, build on opportunities and achieve measurable results
- In partnership with others, including donors and their professional advisors, nonprofit organizations, community and business leaders
Key numbers
- Asset size as of December 31, 2011 (unaudited): $151 million
- Number of grantmaking funds: 442, averaging $306,000 (largest more than $20 million)
- Gifts and bequests received in 2011: $13.8 million
- Grants awarded in 2011: $14.9 million
- Our staff: 14 FTEs
- Our board: 17
Where we rank in our field
- Oldest and largest Community Foundation in the state of Alabama
- Ranked in top 100 out of 700 community foundations nationwide for asset size, grants awarded and gifts received, based on figures for 2010
- Member of the Council on Foundations and certified in compliance with national standards for community foundations
Recent initiatives and results
- Three Parks Initiative: Community Foundation provided $1 million seed grant for creation of Railroad Park, Red Mountain Park and improvements to Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve
- Birmingham Education Foundation: Community Foundation started grassroots initiative called Yes We Can! Birmingham to strengthen Birmingham City Schools and provided seed funding for the education foundation that now carries this mission forward
- Health Action Partnership: Community Foundation served as a key partner in winning national support for this Jefferson County Health Department initiative, leveraging local efforts to bring in more than $14 million to fight obesity and tobacco use
- Alabama School Readiness Alliance: Community Foundation served as a founding and continuing partner in the successful effort to increase the availability of state-funded voluntary pre-school in Alabama.
- Tornado recovery: Community Foundation led Alabama community foundations in raising and distributing dollars for long-term recovery efforts in the Birmingham area and across the state in the wake of devastating April 2011 tornadoes.
Resources
You can download a single-sheet of key facts about the Community Foundation here. MediaResourceGuide
You can link to a variety of information from our annual Report to the Community.
If Director of Communications Emily Rushing is not available at 205-327-3806, call our main office number at 205-327-3800.
