We began operations on July 11, 1978 as The Garrison Community Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity. Initial funding of $726,524 came from remainder assets of the closed Garrison General Hospital. Our current total assets are more than $83 million, with over $15 million of that total in unrestricted community endowments.

In 1987, the name was changed to The Community Foundation of Gaston County, Inc., to better describe its broad community role. The historic name was preserved by simultaneous renaming of the main general fund— now known as the Garrison Fund.

The Community Foundation of Gaston County is to be the leader of philanthropic giving by connecting donors with community needs to enhance the lives of present and future generations.

The Foundation does this by connecting donors to community needs and causes that are meaningful to them; investing charitable dollars prudently to achieve lasting results; and leading collaborative solutions to community issues.

The Foundation also manages many other unrestricted funds, along with those designated for a specific charitable organization and many advised funds where the individual or corporate donor can recommend use of the proceeds for a variety of community causes.

The Foundation's office is located at 250 S. New Hope Rd. in Gastonia, NC. Utilizing a dedicated staff of five to effectively build development efforts and to efficiently manage administrative needs the Foundation uses well under 0.81% of net assets annually for operating costs.

Fact sheet:
Assets Under Management: $82.2M
Number of Charitable Funds: 370
Grants and Scholarships Award: $83.5M since inception; $5.7M in year 2015
Board of Directors: 22 volunteers
Accreditation: National Standards
Average Performance of Main Investment Pool Over the Last 5 Years: +5.26%
Performance of our Main Investment Pool in 2015: 0.5%

Gaston Community Foundation

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