What Is A Community Foundation?

To best understand what the Dearborn Community Foundation, Inc., (DCF) does, it’s important to understand what exactly a community foundation is. A “community foundation” is a public charity built on the concept of people helping people to improve the quality of life in a particular geographic area.

Simply put: DCF is a tax-exempt organization and it receives and invests charitable gifts from individuals, families, businesses, nonprofits and other foundations. A portion of the return on the investments of the monies donated is then granted back into the community based on donors’ wishes. Donors’ wishes vary from the granting of scholarships in the name of a deceased loved one to donor-advised endowments that provide assistance to a particular non-profit organization or cause. Please see Donors page to learn more about the different types of endowment funds.