Our Mission
The characteristics we cherish about Hudson did not just happen. They were thoughtfully planned by a century of idealists with a single vision: to create an extraordinary community rooted in values, culture, family and exceptional living and learning. We’re grateful to these thoughtful leaders, as they have truly given us a gift – a treasure that is now ours to protect and to pay forward.
Our mission is to enhance the overall quality of life in Hudson by increasing charitable giving, educating and connecting donors to community needs and leading on community issues. How do we do that? By asking people like you, who already give to many causes, to give to those same causes through Hudson Community Foundation, rather than through a third-party financial organization. By combining the collective resources available at Hudson Community Foundation, we create a public charity to support local needs and those important to our donors nationwide.
The Hudson Community Foundation, established by Hudson residents and governed by a volunteer board with a professional staff, is a philanthropic partner that helps families, individuals and companies maximize the impact of their charitable dollars in contributing to causes and nonprofit organizations locally and nationwide.
It’s a simple thing, and yet it means so much for two reasons: One, because when you give to your charities through Hudson Community Foundation, administrative fees stay right here in Hudson, building on the vision of our forefathers. And two, because every person who does this helps us reach our goal of endowing the organization, so we can support local and nationwide projects forever.
Empower simple, smart and meaningful philanthropy.
Our History
From our founding days in 2000, our vision for family philanthropy in Hudson was similar to that of all community foundations set up since the first community foundation was established in Cleveland in 1914: to preserve and enhance the quality of life in the community for generations to come. To accomplish this we needed a community-based charitable endowment – a public charity to which individuals, families and companies could set up a fund in their name, contribute a wide variety of assets, and enjoy the best tax benefits available. Also, have those funds administered and distributed under a common umbrella. In short, we needed a community foundation.
In 2000, Hudson Community Foundation (HCF) was established by two philanthropic Hudson residents that set out to design a community foundation especially for Hudson, one that would reflect the unique character and personality of Hudson residents. In addition to the traditional charitable giving strategies that most community foundations offer (designated funds, field-of-interest funds, unrestricted funds and Donor Advised Funds), they wanted to create the opportunity for donors and their families to experience the special satisfaction that comes from personalized family philanthropy.
Our Philosophy
HCF offers the widest range of flexibility in contributions, grants and family involvement over successive generations. HCF is simple, smart, and meaningful.
HCF plays a key role in addressing community needs, now and in the future. We act as a community catalyst, bringing diverse voices and groups together to address local issues, and fostering greater giving and volunteering in our communities. We build endowments to ensure grants support the community forever. We are governed by leaders with strong ties to our communities. Our work focuses on that of nonprofits; we foster the development of new organizations and programs, support high-impact opportunities, and re-direct funds as community needs change.
HCF is staffed by people from the community and led by a local board of directors. This group of people has an in-depth knowledge of the issues, opportunities and resources that shape your community, enabling them to play a key role in solving community problems, while helping donors learn more about local needs in order to make their giving as effective as possible.
During the 23 years since HCF’s founding, individuals, families and businesses have contributed over $54 million to create individual named funds and to support causes they care about. During this time, over $31.7 million in grants were made throughout the country, with $7 million in grant distributions to charitable organizations in the Hudson community.
HCF can accept and hold a wide array of assets. Below you’ll find a brief overview of some of the most common types of assets that you can donate to a named Fund at HCF. As always, you should consult with your legal, tax, and financial advisor(s) prior to making a contribution.
- Checks
- IRA assets
- Publicly traded securities
- Closely held stock
- C-Corp
- S-Corp
- Life insurance
- Real estate
We accept gifts from individuals, families, organizations, businesses, trusts and estates. Multiple donors may pool their gifts into a single fund within the Foundation.
HCF is a proud to be accredited by the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations.
This means that we have met the nation’s highest philanthropic standards for operational quality, integrity and accountability. The program requires community foundations to document their policies for donor services, investments, grantmaking and administration.