SouthCoast Community Foundation

What SouthCoast Community Foundation does

SouthCoast Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public community foundation established in 1995 and headquartered in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It serves as the sole community foundation dedicated to Southeastern Massachusetts, operating across 41 cities and towns in Bristol, Plymouth, Dukes, and Norfolk Counties. The Foundation manages over $72 million in charitable assets across more than 450 funds established by individuals, families, corporations, and nonprofit organizations, and has distributed over $68 million in grants and $6.2 million in scholarships over its 30-year history.

Its core service lines are donor-advised funds, committee-advised funds, designated funds, field-of-interest funds, scholarship funds, and organizational endowment funds. Distribution occurs through two annual competitive grant cycles (Spring and Fall), a self-serve online scholarship application portal, and the Fund Advisor Portal for fundholders. Programs include the Creative SouthCoast Initiative (in partnership with the Barr Foundation with up to $1.6M in potential matching), the Leadership Equity Fund for BIPOC-led nonprofits, the SouthCoast Emergency Response Fund, and the Nonprofit Resilience Network — a convening and capacity-building platform that connects nonprofits, funders, and consultants across the region.

The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors (Chair: Gail Fortes; Vice Chair: Anne Tangen) and led by President & CEO Dr. Melanie S. Edwards-Tavares. Revenue is generated primarily through administrative and investment management fees on assets under management (averaging ~70 basis points annually), donor contributions to the Annual Fund and various restricted initiatives, and event revenue from flagship gatherings such as the annual Summer's Last Blast fundraiser. The organization employs between 1 and 10 staff and uses standard third-party SaaS (FCS Enterprise Resource Planning, Grant Interface) for fundholder and grantee management rather than proprietary technology infrastructure.

Name

SouthCoast Community Foundation

Legal name

SouthCoast Community Foundation

Website

https://southcoastcf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SouthCoast Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation managing $72M+ in charitable assets across 450+ funds and serving 41 cities and towns in Southeastern Massachusetts through donor-advised funds, competitive grants, scholarships, and nonprofit capacity-building programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation & Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Donor advised funds
• Charitable grantmaking
• Scholarship fund management
• Philanthropic asset management

Headquarters

HQ city

New Bedford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Fund Management: The Foundation manages over 450 charitable funds established by individuals, families, corporations, and organizations. These funds generate investment income that is distributed as grants and scholarships to support community needs.
2. Donor Contributions: Individual and corporate donors make tax-deductible contributions to establish funds, support the annual fund, or make one-time donations to various initiatives including Creative SouthCoast, Leadership Equity Fund, and Emergency Response Fund.
3. Administrative Fees: Each fund held by the Foundation is subject to administrative fees that support the Foundation's operations. Investment management expenses average approximately 70 basis points annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SouthCoast Community Foundation is a tax-exempt public charity that manages more than 450 charitable funds established by individuals, families, corporations, and nonprofit organizations. It offers Donor Advised Funds, Designated Funds, Field of Interest Funds, Scholarship Funds, Committee Advised Funds, and Organizational Endowment Funds. The Foundation distributes capital through bi-annual competitive grant cycles, scholarship programs (70+ scholarships), and donor-recommended grants to nonprofit organizations across 41 cities and towns in Southeastern Massachusetts.

Product overview

SouthCoast Community Foundation is a community foundation offering a portfolio of philanthropic services including donor-advised funds, scholarship programs, and grantmaking. The Foundation manages over 450 funds and operates programs including the Creative SouthCoast Initiative for arts and culture, the Nonprofit Resilience Network for nonprofit capacity-building, and the Leadership Equity Fund for racial equity. The Fund Advisor Portal provides online access for fundholders. The Foundation conducts two annual grant cycles and administers over 70 scholarships awarding more than $800,000 annually to students across Southeastern Massachusetts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nonprofit Resilience Network (NRN): Initiative that connects nonprofits, funders, and consultants to strengthen the nonprofit sector and amplify collective impact
• Creative SouthCoast Initiative
• SouthCoast Legacy Society
• ArtWeek SouthCoast
• Summer's Last Blast

Products and services

• Donor Advised Funds
• Designated Funds
• Field of Interest Funds
• Scholarship Funds
• Committee Advised Funds
• Organizational Endowment Funds
• Bi-Annual Grant Programs
• New Voices, New Places Grants
• Creative SouthCoast Initiative

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Barr FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Barr Foundation selected the SouthCoast Community Foundation as one of only eight community foundations to advance diverse and equitable arts and creative expression across the Commonwealth. Barr Foundation will match contributions nearly sixfold, awarding up to $1,600,000 if the $280,000 match goal is met for the Creative SouthCoast Initiative.
• BankFiveflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerBankFive is a sponsor of the Summer's Last Blast event and has supported the Creative SouthCoast Initiative, recognizing the importance of fostering a vibrant creative economy in the region.
• BayCoast BankflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerBayCoast Bank is a sponsor of the Summer's Last Blast event and has partnered through corporate giving programs with the Foundation.
• Bristol County Savings BankflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerBristol County Savings Bank and its charitable foundation sponsor the Summer's Last Blast event and engage in community philanthropy with the Foundation.
• Nonprofit Resilience Network (NRN) PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Nonprofit Resilience Network connects nonprofits, funders, and consultants to strengthen the nonprofit sector and amplify collective impact. The Foundation created and hosts the NRN Learning Center.
• ArtWeek SouthCoast Steering CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership includes AHA! New Bedford, Explore New Bedford, Fall River Arts & Culture Coalition, Marion Art Center, Midori Creativity, New Bedford Creative, Viva Fall River, and Westport Art Group working together on the annual ArtWeek SouthCoast festival.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Boston Foundation: Largest community foundation in Massachusetts, offering donor-advised funds, grantmaking, and scholarships across Greater Boston. Directly comparable model (community foundation with multiple fund types), though significantly larger and serving a different geography.
• Rhode Island Foundation: Largest community foundation in Rhode Island and one of the oldest in the U.S., offering similar donor-advised funds, scholarships, and grants. Comparable mission and product set, with deeper AUM and broader scope.
• Hartford Foundation for Public Giving: Connecticut's largest community foundation, offering donor-advised funds, scholarships, and capacity-building for nonprofits. Comparable model; specifically relevant as the prior employer of SCCF's current CEO.

Direct peers

• Greater Worcester Community Foundation: Massachusetts-based community foundation providing donor-advised funds, scholarships, and competitive grants in the Worcester region. Closely comparable in operating model, fund offerings, and regional scope.
• Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts: Regional community foundation in Western MA managing charitable funds, scholarships, and grant programs. Same community foundation model, comparable AUM tier, and similar product mix to SouthCoast.
• Essex County Community Foundation: Massachusetts community foundation serving Essex County with donor-advised funds, scholarships, and grantmaking. Directly comparable as a mid-size regional community foundation.
• Cape Cod Foundation: Regional community foundation providing donor-advised funds, scholarships, and grants on Cape Cod. Comparable in scale, geographic scope, and product mix.

Regional players

• United Way of Greater Fall River: Regional philanthropic organization serving part of the same SouthCoast geography as SCCF, funding nonprofits through workplace giving and grants. Comparable donor-base overlap and regional scope.

Others

• Barr Foundation: Boston-based private foundation that selected SCCF as one of eight partner community foundations. Comparable as a grantmaking funder and the source of the Creative SouthCoast matching grant.
• MassDevelopment: Massachusetts quasi-public economic development finance agency. Operates in adjacent space (community/economic development funding) and overlaps with SCCF's geographic footprint and several board members.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/southcoastcf
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Community-Foundation-of-Southeastern-Massachusetts/323838137171
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southcoast-community-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/southcoastcf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments18 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SouthCoast Community Foundation