We are Your Partner For Community Giving
By Carrie Summy, OPRF Community Foundation President & CEO
Our Foundation is a truly democratic institution — one built by and for the community it serves. We represent the longstanding progressive values of our region, and we work toward our shared goals — those of equity, justice and opportunity. Those values are reflected in our grantmaking and in our investments, both for the Foundation and on behalf of the donor advised funds (DAFs) that we manage. We are held accountable to those values and are dedicated to supporting you, your neighbors, and all those who live and work here.
This trusted relationship is what makes us different from the bigger commercial DAF sponsors. We would not presume to act without our donors’ awareness and involvement — whenever a grant is made we do it in partnership and with deep understanding of our community’s needs, our donor’s wishes and our common values.
Which is why it gives us pause to read that the three largest DAF sponsors — Fidelity Charitable, Vanguard Charitable, and DAFgiving360, formerly known as Schwab Charitable — have halted all grants to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SLPC) in response to a federal indictment, without any due process. The case has not yet gone to court, let alone a verdict rendered, and the organization still maintains its 501(c)3 status. This decision was made without consulting donors. By freezing donor funds based on allegations rather than legal convictions, these commercial vendors have acted as judge and jury, undermining the very freedom of philanthropy. This overreach enforces the exact political chilling effect the prosecutors intended.
We join with community foundations across the country in condemning this preemptive punishment. The OPRF Community Foundation would not withhold such support for an organization — particularly one working towards racial justice — without deep, thoughtful conversations.
The Foundation remains unwavering in our commitment to grow the funds donors have entrusted to us, and we will preserve their wishes regarding how we manage those funds in perpetuity. In fact, as this situation arose, we were pleased to steward gifts to SPLC in support of their work on behalf of two fundholders.
If you want to ensure your charitable dollars are protected by a partner deeply committed to philanthropic freedom and the values you hold dear, we invite you to transfer your Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) assets to us.
If you are already a fundholder, thank you for your continued trust in us. We are proud to serve you and our greater community.