The Community Foundation of South Alabama

What The Community Foundation of South Alabama does

The Community Foundation of South Alabama (CFSA) is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1976 and headquartered at 212 St. Joseph Street in Mobile, Alabama. It serves as a regional philanthropic infrastructure provider across eight southwest Alabama counties (Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe, Washington), reaching a population of more than 750,000 residents, and operates through four affiliate community foundations in Atmore, Tri-City, Fairhope/Point Clear, and North Baldwin. Its core activities are creating and administering charitable funds (donor-advised, field-of-interest, designated, and agency funds), running an annual competitive grant program that awards over $3 million per year, and managing more than 40 scholarship funds for students pursuing higher education; cumulatively, it has awarded more than $125 million in grants and scholarships and stewards over 500 philanthropic funds.

CFSA's service delivery is built on a standard community-foundation technology stack: a cloud-based Fund Advisor Portal powered by Donor Central for donor self-service, Blackbaud/Microedge IGAMs for online grant applications, Foundant for scholarship application processing, with supporting tooling from PayPal (payments), Mailchimp (newsletter), Eventbrite (event registration), and the SHARE Southwest Alabama regional data platform. Distribution is hybrid: in-person at the Mobile headquarters and community center (which includes meeting rooms such as Longleaf, Holly, River Birch, and the Magnolia Roof Terrace available for rent, with fees waived for nonprofits during business hours), self-serve via online portals, and through the four affiliate foundations. Marketing and donor development run through annual events (Annual Luncheon, Women's Forum), email newsletter, social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), website content, and earned media via a press kit.

The revenue model is that of a tax-exempt public charity rather than a commercial enterprise: funding comes from donor contributions and planned gifts, returns on pooled investment of endowed funds, modest administrative fees, and facility rental income. CFSA is governed by an independent Board of Directors chaired by Peter Susman with President/CEO Rebecca Byrne leading a team that includes directors of operations, communications and programs, and specialized officers for community resilience, community engagement, and partnerships. The foundation holds National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations accreditation and IRS 509(a)(1) public charity status, and is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Name

The Community Foundation of South Alabama

Legal name

Community Foundation of South Alabama

Website

https://communityfoundationsa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Community Foundation of South Alabama is a Mobile-based 501(c)(3) community foundation that manages 500+ charitable funds, distributes over $3 million in annual grants, and runs 40+ scholarship programs across eight southwest Alabama counties, serving more than 750,000 residents through its headquarters and four affiliate foundations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Philanthropy and Charitable Fund Management

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD), Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH), Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Mobile

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Community Foundation of South Alabama creates, invests, and administers charitable funds on behalf of individual donors and families across an eight-county region of southwest Alabama. It pools fund assets for long-term growth, awards competitive grants to local nonprofit organizations, manages more than 40 scholarship funds for students, and provides wealth advisory support to financial advisors, attorneys, and accountants serving charitable-giving clients.

Product overview

The Community Foundation of South Alabama operates as a philanthropic services organization offering a unified portfolio of fund management and grantmaking products. The core offering consists of Philanthropic Fund Management (creating and administering charitable funds including donor-advised, field-of-interest, designated, and agency funds), the Competitive Grant Program (awarding over $3 million annually to nonprofits), and the Scholarship Program (managing more than 40 scholarship funds). Supporting infrastructure includes the Fund Advisor Portal (cloud-based online tool for fund advisors), Wealth Advisory Services (for professional advisors), and a Community Center (meeting room rental facility). The foundation also runs strategic initiatives including Closing the Opportunity Gap, Community Resilience and Disaster, and Veterans Initiatives that guide funding priorities. The organization serves eight southwest Alabama counties through its main office in Mobile and four affiliate community foundations (Atmore, Fairhope/Point Clear, North Baldwin, and Tri-City).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Philanthropic Fund Management Creation and administration of charitable funds for individual donors and families, including donor-advised funds, field-of-interest funds, designated funds, and agency funds. The foundation pools and invests fund assets for long-term growth and handles all administrative responsibilities including investment, grant processing, reporting, and compliance.
• Competitive Grant Program Annual competitive grantmaking to nonprofit organizations addressing community needs across eight southwest Alabama counties. Awards over $3 million annually through discretionary, field-of-interest, and supporting organization funds. Nonprofits apply online through the Grant Interface portal.
• Scholarship Program More than 40 scholarship funds supporting southwest Alabama students with tuition, books, and fees for professional certificate programs, two- and four-year undergraduate degrees, and graduate school. Students apply online through the Grant Interface scholarship portal.
• Fund Advisor Portal Cloud-based online portal enabling fund advisors to review fund activity and balances, recommend grants, and access fund activity reports 24/7. Backed by Donor Central as the third-party fundholder access platform.
• Wealth Advisory Services Services for financial advisors, attorneys, and accountants to assist clients with charitable giving including present giving, estate planning, and corporate giving with maximum tax benefits. Designed as a back-office steward for client charitable funds.
• Community Center and Meeting Room Rental 6,919 square foot community center at 212 St. Joseph Street in Mobile, Alabama, with multiple conference rooms (Longleaf, Holly, River Birch), Magnolia Roof Terrace, audiovisual equipment, and complimentary amenities. Meeting room rental fees are waived for nonprofits during business hours (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) with a $45 cleaning fee per booking; rental fees apply for after-hours events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $125 million in grants and scholarships awarded since 1976
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of MobilecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Working with the City of Mobile as project partner to develop innovative approaches for disaster adaptation and community resilience implementation.
• Mobile County Emergency Management AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaborating on disaster preparedness and community resiliency initiatives as part of the ACT Initiative project team.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnering with The Nature Conservancy to develop innovative approaches for disaster adaptation as part of the ACT Initiative.
• University of South AlabamacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaborating with University of South Alabama on disaster adaptation project implementation as part of the ACT Initiative.
• Good SportsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership with Good Sports to provide youth organizations with sports equipment, apparel, and footwear to increase play opportunities for children in southwest Alabama.
• The Caring FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Local commitment partner for Project Play initiative focused on closing the opportunity gap for children in underserved communities.
• Aspen InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership with the Aspen Institute and Jake Peavy Foundation on Project Play, a movement to reimagine youth sports with health and inclusion as core values, introducing State of Play: Mobile County to South Alabama.
• Jake Peavy FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership with Jake Peavy Foundation and Aspen Institute on Project Play to reimagine youth sports in Mobile County communities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta: Large metropolitan community foundation with extensive donor-advised fund, grantmaking, and scholarship programs. Serves as a broad-incumbent peer reflecting the upper bound of community foundation scale relevant to CFSA's growth trajectory.
• Greater New Orleans Foundation: Larger Gulf Coast community foundation with broader programmatic footprint across southeast Louisiana. Comparable focus on regional philanthropy, disaster recovery, and equitable community development, but at materially greater scale than CFSA.

Regional players

• Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina: Coastal South Carolina community foundation serving the Lowcountry with donor-advised funds, grants, and scholarships. Comparable in serving a coastal, hurricane-exposed geography with strong place-based identity, though operating in a different state.
• Blue River Community Foundation: Indiana-based community foundation offering donor-advised funds, scholarships, and competitive grants across multiple counties. Comparable in operational scale, multi-county service area, and rural/small-city community foundation model.

Direct peers

• East Alabama Community Foundation: Multi-county Alabama community foundation managing donor-advised funds, scholarships, and competitive grants. Comparable in scale, geographic concentration, and customer segments to CFSA.
• Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham: Alabama's largest community foundation, managing donor-advised funds, competitive grants, and affiliate structures across central Alabama. Closest direct peer to CFSA given shared state footprint and community foundation model serving individual donors, nonprofits, and professional advisors.
• West Alabama Community Foundation: Tuscaloosa-area community foundation offering charitable fund management and grantmaking across multiple west Alabama counties. Closely comparable operating model and rural/small-metro service area dynamics.
• Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville: North Alabama community foundation offering donor-advised funds, grantmaking, and scholarship administration in a multi-county service region. Comparable product mix (funds, grants, scholarships) and customer segments (donors, nonprofits, professional advisors).
• The Foundation for the Mid South: Regional community foundation serving Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama with philanthropic fund management, grantmaking, and strategic initiatives targeting opportunity gaps. Highly comparable mission emphasis on place-based philanthropy in the rural Deep South.

Emerging players

• Fidelity Charitable: Largest national donor-advised fund sponsor offering a low-friction, technology-forward alternative to community foundations for legacy and recurring donors. Relevant emerging competitor capturing regional donors that CFSA might otherwise onboard.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CFSouthAlabama
• Instagraminstagram.com/cfsouthalabama
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-community-foundation-of-south-alabama

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Community Foundation of South Alabama