Looking Forward.
Giving Back.
ABOUT CACF
Central Alabama Community Foundation was established in 1987 by a group of local civic leaders. Their vision was to create a permanent charitable foundation to support various opportunities and needs in the Montgomery area.
CACF has grown to hold over $96 million in charitable assets while distributing over $70 million to organizations that serve the community. CACF serves several counties including Autauga, Coffee, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes, Macon, and Montgomery.
Through its 230+ funds, CACF addresses a wide variety of concerns, supporting projects and programs in education, health, human services, cultural arts, recreation, historic preservation and other civic concerns. Each year, the Foundation distributes over $5 million through hundreds of grants and scholarships.
Board Members
President: Burton U. Crenshaw
Chairman: Mark Hope
Vice -Chairman: Lisa Free
Treasurer: Amanda Hines
Eric Boykin
Ken Burton
Suzanne Davidson
Barrie Harmon
James “Jamie” Loeb, Jr.
D.J. Lowe
Larnetta Moncrief-Harvey
Laurie Rygiel
Clay Torbert
Raley Wiggins
Rev. Richard Williams
Tonya Scott Williams
Staff Members
Ella Biles, EACF Affiliate Manager
FAQs
A community foundation is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in their community. It is a tax-exempt public charity that allows many individuals, through gifts and bequests, to establish permanent endowment funds under the umbrella of one large foundation. Money generated by these funds is distributed to the local community in the form of grants to other nonprofit organizations and agencies to address needs and opportunities.
CACF was founded in 1987 to provide simple, flexible, and effective ways for permanent endowment funds to be established and managed. The foundation works with donors to help achieve their personal, financial and philanthropic goals and to establish endowments for a variety of purposes. CACF is completely autonomous and all decisions are made locally.
CACF is one of the over 650 community foundations nationwide. CACF is a member of the Council on Foundations, an association that represents all types of charitable giving programs. Community Foundations are the fastest growing vehicle for giving in the United States.
The foundation’s funds come from individuals and businesses who recognize the need for a permanent base of charitable capital to support nonprofit activities. Endowments are built by pooling contributions from many donors.
Community foundations offer a variety of options for making donations. By combining your resources with those of others who share your interests, you can maximize the impact of modest contributions with minimal costs. The Foundation also welcomes honorariums and memorial gifts.
Yes. CACF is recognized as a 501(c)3 organization by the Internal Revenue Service.
A diversified investment portfolio is managed by Edward Jones, Jackson Thornton Asset Management, Merrill Lynch Private Wealth Management, and CapTrust. Investment guidelines emphasize the protection of the corpus with the generation of income. The investment committee seeks total return with minimum risk over the long term. Members review investment performance quarterly and the foundation’s staff oversees the distribution of income to more than 200 nonprofit entities located predominantly in central Alabama.
To date, more than $65 million has been given to nonprofit organizations and individuals. In addition, the Foundation administers scholarship funds that benefit students in Autauga, Coffee, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes, Montgomery and Pike Counties.
The foundation uses an application portal, which can be accessed through the Grants section of our website.
Both are important resources to the community. Both are necessary and compatible. Some have described the differences by suggesting the United Way is more like a community checkbook (raising and distributing money annually), while a community foundation is more like a savings account (distributing interest from long-term funds in perpetuity). An additional difference is the foundation’s broad scope of funding (including arts, religion and scholarships; not just health and human services) and its greater base of grantees.
PHONE
FAX
(334) 263-6225
Questions?
ABOUT AACF
For 20 years, the Autauga Area Community Foundation has distributed grants that provide critical funds for food banks serving people who are currently down on their luck, for libraries and art programs that entertain and educate a city and for social service programs offering various types of hope and help to individuals.
AACF is an affiliate of the Central Alabama Community Foundation. Representatives from Autauga County serve on the CACF Board of Directors. Our staff is here to answer any questions and make the most of your giving needs.
Staff Members
Ella Biles, EACF Affiliate Manager
FAQs
A community foundation is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in their community. It is a tax-exempt public charity that allows many individuals, through gifts and bequests, to establish permanent endowment funds under the umbrella of one large foundation. Money generated by these funds is distributed to the local community in the form of grants to other nonprofit organizations and agencies to address needs and opportunities.
CACF was founded in 1987 to provide simple, flexible, and effective ways for permanent endowment funds to be established and managed. The foundation works with donors to help achieve their personal, financial and philanthropic goals and to establish endowments for a variety of purposes. CACF is completely autonomous and all decisions are made locally.
CACF is one of the over 650 community foundations nationwide. CACF is a member of the Council on Foundations, an association that represents all types of charitable giving programs. Community Foundations are the fastest growing vehicle for giving in the United States.
The foundation’s funds come from individuals and businesses who recognize the need for a permanent base of charitable capital to support nonprofit activities. Endowments are built by pooling contributions from many donors.
Community foundations offer a variety of options for making donations. By combining your resources with those of others who share your interests, you can maximize the impact of modest contributions with minimal costs. The Foundation also welcomes honorariums and memorial gifts.
Yes. CACF is recognized as a 501(c)3 organization by the Internal Revenue Service.
A diversified investment portfolio is managed by Edward Jones, Jackson Thornton Asset Management, Merrill Lynch Private Wealth Management, and CapTrust. Investment guidelines emphasize the protection of the corpus with the generation of income. The investment committee seeks total return with minimum risk over the long term. Members review investment performance quarterly and the foundation’s staff oversees the distribution of income to more than 200 nonprofit entities located predominantly in central Alabama.
To date, more than $65 million has been given to nonprofit organizations and individuals. In addition, the Foundation administers scholarship funds that benefit students in Autauga, Coffee, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes, Montgomery and Pike Counties.
The foundation uses an application portal, which can be accessed through the Grants section of our website.
Both are important resources to the community. Both are necessary and compatible. Some have described the differences by suggesting the United Way is more like a community checkbook (raising and distributing money annually), while a community foundation is more like a savings account (distributing interest from long-term funds in perpetuity). An additional difference is the foundation’s broad scope of funding (including arts, religion and scholarships; not just health and human services) and its greater base of grantees.
PHONE
FAX
(334) 263-6225
Questions?
ABOUT ECCF
For 20 years, the Elmore County Community Foundation has distributed more than $2 Million in grants to nonprofit organizations in Elmore County. Each year ECCF awards $50,000 in college scholarships through its 25 different scholarship funds.
ECCF is an affiliate of the Central Alabama Community Foundation. Representatives from Elmore County serve on the CACF Board of Directors. Our staff is here to answer any questions and make the most of your giving needs.
Staff Members
Ella Biles, EACF Affiliate Manager
FAQs
A community foundation is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in their community. It is a tax-exempt public charity that allows many individuals, through gifts and bequests, to establish permanent endowment funds under the umbrella of one large foundation. Money generated by these funds is distributed to the local community in the form of grants to other nonprofit organizations and agencies to address needs and opportunities.
CACF was founded in 1987 to provide simple, flexible, and effective ways for permanent endowment funds to be established and managed. The foundation works with donors to help achieve their personal, financial and philanthropic goals and to establish endowments for a variety of purposes. CACF is completely autonomous and all decisions are made locally.
CACF is one of the over 650 community foundations nationwide. CACF is a member of the Council on Foundations, an association that represents all types of charitable giving programs. Community Foundations are the fastest growing vehicle for giving in the United States.
The foundation’s funds come from individuals and businesses who recognize the need for a permanent base of charitable capital to support nonprofit activities. Endowments are built by pooling contributions from many donors.
Community foundations offer a variety of options for making donations. By combining your resources with those of others who share your interests, you can maximize the impact of modest contributions with minimal costs. The Foundation also welcomes honorariums and memorial gifts.
Yes. CACF is recognized as a 501(c)3 organization by the Internal Revenue Service.
A diversified investment portfolio is managed by Edward Jones, Jackson Thornton Asset Management, Merrill Lynch Private Wealth Management, and CapTrust. Investment guidelines emphasize the protection of the corpus with the generation of income. The investment committee seeks total return with minimum risk over the long term. Members review investment performance quarterly and the foundation’s staff oversees the distribution of income to more than 200 nonprofit entities located predominantly in central Alabama.
To date, more than $65 million has been given to nonprofit organizations and individuals. In addition, the Foundation administers scholarship funds that benefit students in Autauga, Coffee, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes, Montgomery and Pike Counties.
The foundation uses an application portal, which can be accessed through the Grants section of our website.
Both are important resources to the community. Both are necessary and compatible. Some have described the differences by suggesting the United Way is more like a community checkbook (raising and distributing money annually), while a community foundation is more like a savings account (distributing interest from long-term funds in perpetuity). An additional difference is the foundation’s broad scope of funding (including arts, religion and scholarships; not just health and human services) and its greater base of grantees.
PHONE
FAX
(334) 263-6225
Questions?
ABOUT SACF
Established in 1995 by community leaders, South Alabama Community Foundation serves the five-county Wiregrass region of Coffee, Dale, Geneva, Henry and Houston counties. SACF became an affiliate of the Central Alabama Community Foundation in 2010. Through its 26 funds, SACF addresses a wide variety of concerns, supporting projects and programs in education, health, human services, cultural arts, recreation, historic preservation and other civic concerns. Each year, the Foundation distributes $30,000 in community trust grants and more than $15,000 in scholarships. SACF’s Advisory Board of area citizens oversees an annual grantmaking program that determines the best investment of these community dollars.
Advisory Committee Members
Stanley Davis
Fox Fleming
Josh Haisten
Chris Harper
David (Mit) Kirkland
Kelli McQueen
Hayley Northey
Mark O’Mary
Staff Members
Ella Biles, EACF Affiliate Manager
FAQs
A community foundation is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in their community. It is a tax-exempt public charity that allows many individuals, through gifts and bequests, to establish permanent endowment funds under the umbrella of one large foundation. Money generated by these funds is distributed to the local community in the form of grants to other nonprofit organizations and agencies to address needs and opportunities.
CACF was founded in 1987 to provide simple, flexible, and effective ways for permanent endowment funds to be established and managed. The foundation works with donors to help achieve their personal, financial and philanthropic goals and to establish endowments for a variety of purposes. CACF is completely autonomous and all decisions are made locally.
CACF is one of the over 650 community foundations nationwide. CACF is a member of the Council on Foundations, an association that represents all types of charitable giving programs. Community Foundations are the fastest growing vehicle for giving in the United States.
The foundation’s funds come from individuals and businesses who recognize the need for a permanent base of charitable capital to support nonprofit activities. Endowments are built by pooling contributions from many donors.
Community foundations offer a variety of options for making donations. By combining your resources with those of others who share your interests, you can maximize the impact of modest contributions with minimal costs. The Foundation also welcomes honorariums and memorial gifts.
Yes. CACF is recognized as a 501(c)3 organization by the Internal Revenue Service.
A diversified investment portfolio is managed by Edward Jones, Jackson Thornton Asset Management, Merrill Lynch Private Wealth Management, and CapTrust. Investment guidelines emphasize the protection of the corpus with the generation of income. The investment committee seeks total return with minimum risk over the long term. Members review investment performance quarterly and the foundation’s staff oversees the distribution of income to more than 200 nonprofit entities located predominantly in central Alabama.
To date, more than $65 million has been given to nonprofit organizations and individuals. In addition, the Foundation administers scholarship funds that benefit students in Autauga, Coffee, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes, Montgomery and Pike Counties.
The foundation uses an application portal, which can be accessed through the Grants section of our website.
Both are important resources to the community. Both are necessary and compatible. Some have described the differences by suggesting the United Way is more like a community checkbook (raising and distributing money annually), while a community foundation is more like a savings account (distributing interest from long-term funds in perpetuity). An additional difference is the foundation’s broad scope of funding (including arts, religion and scholarships; not just health and human services) and its greater base of grantees.
PHONE
FAX
(334) 263-6225
Questions?
ABOUT EACF
Established in 2007 by community leaders, the East Alabama Community Foundation is dedicated to fostering positive change through philanthropy, collaboration, and community engagement, serving Lee, Chambers, Russell, and Tallapoosa counties. EACF became an affiliate of the Central Alabama Community Foundation in 2024. This partnership strengthens our ability to support local initiatives, grantmaking, and community programs that address the unique needs of East Alabama.
EACF addresses a wide variety of concerns, supporting projects and programs in education, health, human services, cultural arts, recreation, historic preservation and other civic concerns. EACF’s Advisory Board of area citizens determines the best investment of these community dollars.
Our staff is here to answer any questions and make the most of your giving needs.
Advisory Committee Members
Chair: Clay Torbert
Ashley Aaron
Laurel Buckalew
Chris Busby
Vanessa Echols
Bill Ham
Fred Kam
Shirley LazenbyÂ
Joe Turnham
Staff Members
Ella Biles, EACF Affiliate Manager
FAQs
A community foundation is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in their community. It is a tax-exempt public charity that allows many individuals, through gifts and bequests, to establish permanent endowment funds under the umbrella of one large foundation. Money generated by these funds is distributed to the local community in the form of grants to other nonprofit organizations and agencies to address needs and opportunities.
CACF was founded in 1987 to provide simple, flexible, and effective ways for permanent endowment funds to be established and managed. The foundation works with donors to help achieve their personal, financial and philanthropic goals and to establish endowments for a variety of purposes. CACF is completely autonomous and all decisions are made locally.
CACF is one of the over 650 community foundations nationwide. CACF is a member of the Council on Foundations, an association that represents all types of charitable giving programs. Community Foundations are the fastest growing vehicle for giving in the United States.
The foundation’s funds come from individuals and businesses who recognize the need for a permanent base of charitable capital to support nonprofit activities. Endowments are built by pooling contributions from many donors.
Community foundations offer a variety of options for making donations. By combining your resources with those of others who share your interests, you can maximize the impact of modest contributions with minimal costs. The Foundation also welcomes honorariums and memorial gifts.
Yes. CACF is recognized as a 501(c)3 organization by the Internal Revenue Service.
A diversified investment portfolio is managed by Edward Jones, Jackson Thornton Asset Management, Merrill Lynch Private Wealth Management, and CapTrust. Investment guidelines emphasize the protection of the corpus with the generation of income. The investment committee seeks total return with minimum risk over the long term. Members review investment performance quarterly and the foundation’s staff oversees the distribution of income to more than 200 nonprofit entities located predominantly in central Alabama.
To date, more than $65 million has been given to nonprofit organizations and individuals. In addition, the Foundation administers scholarship funds that benefit students in Autauga, Coffee, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes, Montgomery and Pike Counties.
The foundation uses an application portal, which can be accessed through the Grants section of our website.
Both are important resources to the community. Both are necessary and compatible. Some have described the differences by suggesting the United Way is more like a community checkbook (raising and distributing money annually), while a community foundation is more like a savings account (distributing interest from long-term funds in perpetuity). An additional difference is the foundation’s broad scope of funding (including arts, religion and scholarships; not just health and human services) and its greater base of grantees.
PHONE
FAX
(334) 263-6225
ADDRESS
Physical: 216 S. 8th Avenue, Opelika, AL 36801
Mailing Address: PO Box 775 Opelika, AL 36803