Charitable Matchmaker: Arkansas Community Foundation Makes Philanthropy Accessible

credit: Don Leach, Coastline Pilot

When Mary McLeod founded the Arkansas Community Foundation in 1976, she didn't just set out to create a foundation in Little Rock.

She set out to create a statewide one that would reach all of the state's 75 counties.

"If that had been the case, the rest of the state would not have had access to community funding," CEO Heather Larkin tells the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Today, the ARCF is the largest grant-maker in the state, awarding more than $600 million in grants since 1976, with 29 local offices across the state.

What makes the ARCF unique is that it allows individuals, families, nonprofits, and businesses to create endowments that can be used for the public benefit, Larkin tells the Democrat-Gazette.

"It does not matter who you are," she says.

"Any Arkansan can create a fund."

The fundholders range from people who have an interest in helping pets, art, or feeding initiatives to others in the community who need funds to accomplish shared goals.

The ARCF was started with a $258,000 grant from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation in 1976, Larkin tells the Democrat-Gazette.

"They wanted this to be statewide because we are a fairly small, relatively poor state, which is easy to travel, and we can impact

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