Throughout the 1990s, groups of local citizens discussed the need for a charity that could help local donors pool assets to tackle community-wide issues.
Ironically, it was the dissolution of the Chattahoochee Valley Fair that created the catalyst to move the idea forward. The Fair, which had operated as a nonprofit charity for many years, decided to cease operations, partly because of the changing climate of community fairs and the organization's displacement during the construction of South Commons and the Civic Center.
It gave the bulk of its accumulated assets - some $600,000 - to form the core of a fund for the Chattahoochee Valley, and Community Foundation was born.
Officially launched in early 1998, the organization grew quickly over the next few years, reaching $9.5 million in assets by the end of 2001. By the end of Fiscal Year 2006, assets had grown to over $36 million, with more than 100 Funds established to meet community needs.