When you partner with the Foundation, you become part of the region’s largest philanthropic network, funder collaborative, and agent for change.  

There are more than 1,000 community foundations in the United States. They exist for one single reason: to strengthen and enrich their communities. The model is as ingenious as it is simple. It is a means to build, over time, substantial endowment funds through contributions, large and small, to help ensure there are resources to support the community now and in the years to come.  These resources are pooled and invested wisely to produce income, which is then invested back into the community through grants and scholarships.

Anyone can partner with the Foundation to give something back to the community.  We are a tax-exempt public charity that enables people with philanthropic interests to easily and effectively support organizations and causes they care about with assistance from a team of local experts.

When caring individuals come together under a flexible, creative, and successful philanthropic model, the potential for good is unlimited. This is your community foundation.  Let’s make a difference. Together.

 Foundation Strengths

Strength and Stability
The Cape Cod Foundation was established in 1989 with a single $10,000 scholarship. Today, we administer more than 330 funds. 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.

Standards of Excellence
The Cape Cod Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in proud compliance with the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations, the highest standard for philanthropic excellence for community foundations in the country.

Experience
Our Board Members bring diverse, critical expertise to the leadership team. Our staff are experts in fund establishment, administration, and financial management, along with planned giving, development, grantmaking, and marketing.

Community Knowledge and Leadership
We are a local organization with deep roots in the community. Our partners include civic leaders, funder collaboratives, public and private foundations, professionals from the corporate and nonprofit sectors, and individual donors invested in all aspects of community life. We can share up-to-date knowledge about challenges, initiatives, programs, and resources to inform and increase the impact of your philanthropic plan. Because of our unique purview, we also bring objectivity to the philanthropic landscape.

Adaptability/Permanence
Because we are actively immersed in the community, we can adapt as its needs change over time.  We also offer donors permanence—especially for those who have created a Legacy Fund or made a bequest to the Foundation in their wills or trusts. There will always be a responsible steward for your gift.

Spending Policy
Our spending policy allows The Foundation and all Fund Advisors to maximize charitable giving in good and bad times. When setting the annual policy, we consider fund performance over the previous three years to arrive at an average, which is usually from 3.5%-5%. In contrast, using “net income” to determine annual spending policies can create an abundance of resources in boom years and a scarcity of resources when the market is down. During the global pandemic, we increased our annual spending policy to generate more resources for immediate community needs and rebuilding efforts, while maintaining the endowment.

Variance Power
The Foundation has the power to realign bequests to respond to changing times without seeking court approval.  For instance, if a donor has included an annual gift to a specific nonprofit from her Legacy Fund and the nonprofit closes several years later, we can redirect the gift to another nonprofit with a similar mission. Our responsibility as a steward is to honor the donor’s original intent as closely as possible.

Our Team
Board  |  STAFF