The constitution of the Foundation defines the Fleurieu Peninsula as the local government areas of Yankalilla, Victor Harbor and Alexandrina and restricts our activity to this area.

You may well ask; what is a community foundation?

A community foundation is a not-for-profit organisation established to help philanthropic individuals and organisations support grass-root initiatives and community needs. It uses charitable giving to meet the current and future needs of local communities.

At the moment the Fleurieu Community Foundation offers the following grants and programs -

• The Fleurieu Community Homelessness Fund, which provides essential funds to address Homelessness on the Fleurieu through support of transitional housing provided by Junction Australia and support of emergency housing by the South Coast Christian Community Care.
• Back 2 School Grants, distributing more than $10,000 annually to families through all of the schools across the Fleurieu.
• Stay in Sport Grants, distributing around $2,000 or more annually. to young people through sporting clubs to encourage them to stay engaged in community.
• Youth Partnership Grants, a grant to encourage young people to stay engaged in community through participation in the Arts.
• The Yankalilla District Young Adult Award aims to provide support to young adults aged 18 to 21 years, who are living in the Yankalilla District Council area. The Award supports young adults who show initiative and commitment in their field of education or training but who may be experiencing difficulty in continuing their studies or accessing other education or training due to hardship or disadvantage.
• The annual Wally Bradley Award granted in conjunction with the Rotary Club of EB to a person commencing post-secondary study.
• The annual Florence Wilckens Award granted to a young person requiring financial assistance to persue study in Arts.
• Annually we also release a Disability & Inclusion grant stream and our Community Wellbeing grant is released twice yearly with a broader focus on Mental Health, Disability & Leadership.

A community foundation is an independent, philanthropic, not-for-profit organisation working within a defined geographic  – such as the Fleurieu region. There are currently 32 community foundations operating across Australia and over 1000 in the UK, USA and Canada.

The Fleurieu Community Foundation began through the leadership of the Fleurieu Community Services Advisory Committee - an Advisory Committee to the Councils of Alexandrina, Victor Harbor and Yankalilla.

The Foundation of Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) conducted a feasibility study in 2007, which concluded that a Fleurieu Community Foundation was both viable and desirable for the region.

A steering committee was formed to set up the Foundation in 2007, made up of passionate individuals in the Alexandrina, Victor Harbor and Yankalilla Council areas to develop the structure of the Foundation. A Company Limited by Guarantee with charitable status was formed. This is the Fleurieu Community Foundation Ltd.

The Fleurieu Community Foundation Board was recruited in March 2010 and consists of people who have an active interest in the Fleurieu region and have a commitment to community service and/or experience in business, the community sector and welfare organisations.

Snapshot of the Foundation's activites in 2013.

Building a stronger and more resilient Fleurieu community

Vision:

Establish a sustainable fund, and make significant grants for the benefit of the community.

Aims:

• Provide simple and cost effective ways for people to make donations and/or bequests
• Provide simple and cost effective ways for people to establish named and themed funds
• Make grants for the long term benfit of the community and its members 
• Demonstrate the benefits of a Community Foundation     
• Manage and invest funds prudently to achieve fund growth
• Maintain standards, transparency and service to the community

Who does the Fleurieu Community Foundation Serve?

The Fleurieu Community Foundation serves the communities of the Southern Fleurieu Region incorporating three local government areas;

An area of just under 3,000 square kilometers, with a total population of 42,000

(*Population figures taken from ABS Census 2011).

The Fleurieu Community Foundation is incorporated as a Public Company Limited by Guarantee under the Corporations Act and is required to report to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) and the public about its activities.

• The Fleurieu Community Foundation is endorsed by the ATO as a tax concession charity (TCC) and is exempt from income tax and ensures that its activities are charitable. Australian Tax Office (ATO) Charitable Institution

• The Public Company (the Fleurieu Community Foundation Pty Ltd) is the Trustee of the Administration Fund, Public Fundand the Open Fund where gifts to the Foundation are held. Each fund has a separate Trust Deed.
• The Trustees are responsible for investment decisions and for ensuring that income is distributed in line with the stated purposes in the Trust Deeds.
• The Trustee has legal obligations under the various Trustee Acts and the Common Law.
• The Fleurieu Community Foundation is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) under the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997.
• The Foundation’s Public Fund has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. The Fund to which tax-deductible donations can be given.
• Grants to organisations that have Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status can be made from the Public Fund.
• The Fleurieu Community Foundation is registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST) and has an Australian Business Number (ABN) for each fund.
• The Fleurieu Community Foundation’s Constitution outlines governance requirements and states that the foundation is not-for-profit and that its income will be applied to public charitable purposes.
• The Fleurieu Community Foundation is committed to good corporate governance practice and principles
• The Board of Directors is made up of volunteer, unpaid representatives from the Fleurieu region that meet the Australian Tax Office’s (ATO) definition of having ‘community responsibility’.
• The Board is responsible for ensuring that the Foundation's legal responsibilities are met.
• The Board meets monthly to set and oversee the implementation of policy and strategy and to monitor the foundation’s financial management.