Our History

C. W. and Irene Sulier had a vision…a permanent fund that would be invested and the income used for grants as needs rose in the community.  

In 1967, they established the Blue Grass Community Foundation.  Their gifts to the Foundation over the years became the General Endowment Fund.  Income from the fund is given out annually in grants to agencies and in scholarships to high school seniors going to college.  

Today the Foundation carries out their vision by offering people many ways to give for a wide variety of interests.   

“Most of us are anxious and willing to do something worthwhile, not only while we are  living but carrying through after life has ended, for the area in which we have lived happily with our families.  The Blue Grass Foundation (as it was first named) is the ideal vehicle,” wrote C. W. Sulier in 1972.  

Karolyn Sulier Buck remembers that her parents had different charitable interests; her father was interested in education and her mother favored health causes.  “They felt that they could be diversified givers by setting up the Foundation which would provide for many community needs over time.”  

National attention came in 1994 when the John S.  and James L. Knight Foundation in Miami, Florida, gave a challenge grant for opening an office and hiring staff for the Blue Grass Community Foundation.  


History of Community Foundations  

1914
The first community foundation was established in Cleveland, Ohio. Within five years, community foundations formed in places like Chicago, Boston, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Rhode Island, and Buffalo.

Growing years
In the years that followed, other local community foundations were established, and hundreds of thousands of individuals across the United States – from all economic backgrounds – joined with their local community foundations to create permanent charitable funds to meet the needs of their communities.

1931
The first Donor Advised Fund was established by a community foundation in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

1969
While many factors contributed to the rapid growth of community foundations, one strong impetus was the Tax Reform Act of 1969.

These changes resulted in private foundations becoming more strictly regulated and made community foundations a more attractive option for many donors, primarily because:

• Lifetime gifts of certain kinds of appreciated property, such as real estate and interests in closely-held businesses, to a community foundation can be deducted at full fair-market value.
• The annual deduction limit for individual gifts is higher for a community foundation gift than for those to a private foundation.

Community foundations also are free from excise tax and other requirements that apply to private foundations, enhancing their appeal to many donors. 

Today
There are more than 650 community foundations serving urban and rural communities throughout the United States. Collectively we hold approximately $31 billion in combined assets and make local grants of approximately $2.6 billion annually. And we're growing fast!

The community foundation concept is also rapidly expanding worldwide with over 365 community foundations in 37 countries outside the United States.