The Community Foundation of Utah

Here is a summary of data from the 2011 Giving USA report

• Total charitable contributions by individuals, corporations, and foundations was an estimated $298.42 billion in 2011, up 4% in current dollars and 0.9 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars from 2010.
• Giving by individuals rose nearly 4% and continue to count for the vast majority (73%) of total giving.
• As a percentage of disposable income, individual giving held steady in 2011 at 1.9%.

Less good news on the foundation and corporate giving front:

• Grantmaking by private, community, and operating rose less than 2%, meaning an actual decline of 1.3 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars.
• Giving to foundations fell some 6.1%.
• Giving by corporations remained flat, down 0.1% (3.1%  in inflation-adjusted dollars).

The big transfer of wealth we have been hearing about may have begun:

• Gifts from estates rose 12% (9% in inflation-adjusted dollars), to $24.41 billion).

Who is benefiting from these gifts?

• Although giving to religious organizations fell 1.7% (4.7% in inflation-adjusted dollars), they continued to receive the largest share of charitable contributions in terms of recipient category.
• Religion was followed closely by education, then human services, health, arts and culture, and animal welfare and the environment.

We are excited to roll out a new feature on our web site - guest bloggers.  Every few weeks we'll feature insights and information from our partners in the field. Our goal is to help inform our community about the pressing issues facing Utah, and to bring awareness to the organizations and people that make our state unique. If you would like to add your voice please write us at info@utahcf.org.

Over 100,000 Utahns are struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, and the number is growing.

Prescription drug abuse is fueling the rise of addiction in Utah, especially among 18 to 24 year olds. There are a number of explanations for this trend, but chief among them is our collective willingness to share medications. Studies indicate that 97 percent of prescription drug abusers get their pills from friends and family members. Ninety-seven percent! Because of this faux generosity and the dangerous addiction it breeds, Utahns are dying by the hundreds from prescription drug overdoses. In fact, we are now more likely to die of drug poisoning than in a car crash.

To stop prescription drug abuse in our community, Odyssey House of Utah is asking for your help to spread word about its dangers. Please take a moment to share this post with your personal and professional networks. Remember, nearly all prescription drug abusers get their pills from friends and family. If we can convince even one person to stop sharing their pills, we may save a life.

To learn more about Odyssey House of Utah and its efforts to help individuals and families who are struggling with addiction and mental illness, please visit us at www.odysseyhouse.org, like us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Odyssey-House-of-Utah/54146512730, and follow us @OdysseyHouseUT.

Guest Blogger - Preston Nielson, Development Coordinator. Odyssey House

2012 Press

Season of Giving - Donations are changing lives in Utah

'Giving Tuesday' reminds to donate to needy families ksl.com

Time for  Womens Giving Circle in St George?

• Efforts under way to help boost women in society

The impact of the recession on Utah nonprofits: our final economic dashboard makes national presss

• Utah Sees 38% Decline In Nonprofits Since 2009: Report (Huffington Post)

Our Scholarships in the news:

The impact of the recession on Ogden nonprofits - and plans for the future

• Needs summit sees silver lining as winter approaches

Sumner Redstone has made a $100,000 grant to the foundation's Safe To Talk Fund to support anti-bullying efforts in the LA School District

• LA Times story

The City Weekly covers our work to create local funding efforts for social enterprises

• City Weekly

Read about our Social Enterprise mini-grant recipient - the Murray Boys and Girls Club Snack Shack! Click on the links below for more on the Snack Shack and how its helping teach kids financial literacy.

• Murray Journal Story
• Salt Lake Tribune Story
  

  

Giving by U.S. foundations was about $46.9-billion last year, While that sounds like a lot, it is only a  2% increase over  2010 and a more than 2% drop from 2009, according to a new study on foundation giving. But here is where it gets scary -  when inflation is taken into account, giving was actually down from 2010.  That has been the case her ein Utah, where the average budget of a nonprofit is the same as it was in 2008.

Our 24 hour Day of Giving March 22 will help nonprofits across Utah reach people in their 20s and early 30s - and it turns ot they are donors!  A new survey of more than 6,500 people ages 20 to 35 shows they are inclined to give - and are more than willing to ask their friends and relatives to do the same - when they feel passionately about a cause. This bodes well for viral efforts like Live UT Give UT.  Nearly 75% of young people in the survey said they gave money to a nonprofit in 2011, and a very exciting 70% said they have helped solicit donations by encouraging colleagues and others to support a cause. Our advice - get the email addresses and facebook links to everyone you know under 30 and we'll do our part to give them an easy way to encourage them and their friends to donate.

The Safe to Talk fund supports initiatives, awards, scholarships, programs or products that enhance the general health and safety of schools and educational institutions, their students and staff.

If you do not have your 501 (c) 3 or don't need to start one,  but still have a charitable purpose some organizations (including the Community Foundation) will offer 'fiscal sponsorship' services for a fee. Normally, the concern is on the sponsors end - will organization meet reporting requirements, liability concerns etc. After all it is their tax status that is on the line. But this story shows that finding a good partner is just as important on the organization's side. The FBI is investigating the apparent disappearance of an estimated $1 million in donations that about 200 nonprofits reported losing when the organization that handled their finances abruptly shut down this year, forcing some groups to curtail their charity work. You can read the LA Times article here. 

• 54% of Utah nonprofits are so small they are not required to file a 990 tax form with the IRS
• and only 27% reported revenues of over $50,000

The recession may have dealt an even harder blow to the sector than we have been reporting. It is hard to imagine how any functional agency, even one fully staffed by volunteers, can survive on no donations, no assets and no other form of income. Yet of our 5,350 registered charities - people the IRS has given a tax exempt status to, fully 2,291 - 43% - made the effort to report to the ITRS that they had ... nothing.  No cash on hand, nothing coming in, and no retained assets. Zilch. Nada.

No future? No service? 

Thanks to each of the people, companies and communities who have established a fund to serve our communities for good, and forever.  To learn more, call (801) 559-3005.

Donor Advised Funds

• 19 Anonymous
• Barabino Huebner DAF
• Bill Phillips Fund
• BKN Fund
• Broman Family Fund
• Corbin B and Kara Church Family Fund
• Donna Loy Gossner Fund
• Elliott-Hall Fund
• Everest Family Fund
• The Fletcher Family Fund
• The Kerr-Jackson Fund
• The Kingfisher Fund
• Jane and Tami Marquardt Donor Advised Fund
• LJJ Fund
• P.I.R.M Partners in Real Missions
• The Adam Galinsky Fund
• The Alex Conine Memorial Fund
• The James McMinimee Pay It Back Fund
• The Robin Mueller Memorial Fund
• The Pulos Family Fund
• The Sherrie and David E. Gee Community Fund
• The Susan and David Denton Charitable Trust
• The Sondak Nelson Bois Family Fund
• The Topper Family Fund
• ZPD Fund

Agency Endowments

• 4th Street Clinic Agency Endowment
• ACE Agency Endowment
• And Justice for All
• Bear River Land Conservancy
• Boys and Girls Club of South Valley Endowment - Public
• Canary Garden Designated Endowment Fund
• Columbus Dignity Through Work Endowment
• Egg Fund for the Tracy Aviary
• League of Women Voters Salt Lake Legacy Fund
• Make A Wish Foundation of Utah Endowment
• Salt Lake CAP Head Start Endowment
• The Sharing Place Endowment
• The Utah Community Forest Council Fund
• Thomas N and Nancy E Nissalke Fund  for the YMCA
• Utah Partners for Health
• Wasatch Community Gardens Endowment
• Women's Giving Circle Endowment Fund

Corporate Funds

• Chapman Richards Cares
• Spring Retail Group Charitable Fund
• The Terillion Blue Star Fund

The Utah Fund

Field of Interest Funds

• LGBT Community Endowment Fund
• The Safe to Talk Fund
• The Utah Womens Giving Circle
• Utah Natural Heritage Fund

Scholarships

• Equality Leadership Scholarship Fund
• Ezme Service Animal Fund
• Greg Warnock and Alan Hall Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund
• Home Education Leadership Scholarship
• Natural History Museum of Utah Youth Teaching Youth Scholarship Fund
• The Keith Hamilton Inmate Paralegal Correspondence Course Scholarship
• The Ostergar Scholarship
• The Steven Magelby Memorial Law Student Fellowship Fund
• Willy The Plumber Scholarship