Collaborative Efforts for Positive Change
In the summer of 2014, three young men living with ALS launched the Ice Bucket Challenge. Participants poured a bucket of icy water over themselves, shared the filmed event, and nominated others to do the same. Sound silly? Think again. Big media frenzy. Huge celebrity support. 17 million films. 159 countries. 10 billion views. $220 million dollars raised. Little networks of friends and families became a huge and powerful network—researchers, clinicians, healthcare professionals, advocates, legislators, volunteer and donors—working together to raise awareness of and money to combat this devastating disease. (Always up for a collaboration and a challenge, the small but mighty Foundation team was among them. Watch video below!)  The money raised increased the Association’s capacity to invest in research, assistive technologies, and care services for people with ALS. The challenge also led to the discovery of five new genes connected to the disease.

Over the past two decades alone, collective giving organizations have tripled in size in the United States. Giving circles, collaborative funds, crowdfunding, mutual aid funds and projects, fundraising societies, giving projects, and giving days are part of this rapidly growing, grassroots philanthropic movement which empowers people to band together and raise funds to support everything from youth development initiatives to natural disaster relief.

Partnering with The Cape Cod Foundation
Community Foundations, like The Cape Cod Foundation, are built around this collaborative concept. When you partner with the Foundation, you become part of the region’s largest philanthropic network, funder collaborative, and agent for change. We started with a single $10,000 scholarship in 1989. Today, we administer more than 330 funds working hard for good. By harnessing the power of collective giving and collective effort, we have grown to $120 million in assets (fiscal 2024) and have distributed more than $106 million back into the community.