{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Radio Chatskill","title":"New Regional Community Foundation Forms, Managing $71 Million in Local Giving","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":605,"description":"A major philanthropic merger in the Hudson Valley and Catskills is now official — and supporters say it could reshape how charitable giving works across the region.The New York State Attorney General has approved the unification of the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan and the Rockland Community Foundation, creating the Community Foundation of Orange, Sullivan and Rockland. The merged organization now oversees more than 600 charitable funds and nearly $71 million in assets, supporting nonprofits, scholarships, and community initiatives across all three counties.For Elizabeth Rowley, president and CEO of the foundation, the merger is about more than scale.“This really means a stronger, more vibrant community foundation for our region,” Rowley said. “By combining our capacity and expertise, we can better support donors and respond to the needs we’re seeing across our communities.”What changes — and what doesn’tCommunity foundations often do their most important work out of sight: managing investments, ensuring compliance, and handling the administrative backbone of charitable giving. Rowley said bringing those systems together creates efficiencies that benefit both donors and nonprofits.“There’s real economy of scale,” she said. “Much of the work is back-office administration. By streamlining that, we free up more capacity to focus on impact.”What remains unchanged, Rowley emphasized, is the foundation’s commitment to local presence and local relationships.“We’re still showing up,” she said. “At community events, with nonprofits, and in conversations about what really matters in each county.”A hub for local philanthropyRowley describes the foundation as a kind of “turnkey” private foundation for community members who want to give back.“We help people create scholarship funds or charitable funds that support causes close to their hearts,” she said. “We take care of the administrative side so they can focus on giving, fundraising, and legacy.”Those funds...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/q7XXsnSXT_u4mZLCn3chUorwDmUD_kWiB272D6emB18/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80N2Uy/OGY5MWUwZThkYTEw/NDVkZGM2ZGZkZDIw/ZjliOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}