In today's news, we invite you to learn about donor-advised funds (DAFs) in a free webinar on May 21 & to nominate an Arlington change-maker for the Spirit of Community Award by May 27... plus we cover 3 creative ways to support education and talk "affordable" vs. "deeply affordable" housing.

DAFs (Donor Advised Funds) are growing in popularity as charitable giving tools, and for good reason. They maximize tax savings while minimizing paperwork (goodbye, donation receipt pile). They take very little time to set up, manage, and distribute grants from. They are flexible in accepted assets (cash, stocks, real estate, and more), and ultimately, they let you get back to the joy of giving to causes you love.

You’re invited to join Arlington Community Foundation President and CEO, Jennifer Owens, and Director of Philanthropy, Christy Cole, for a free virtual discussion about all things DAF. The keyword being discussion, so please send any questions you have about DAFs (or charitable giving in general) to Christy at [email protected] at any time.

Do you know someone who makes Arlington better? Whether through social justice, disability rights, the arts, philanthropy, community service, volunteering, public health, parks preservation, or otherwise... we want to honor and celebrate them!

On November 15 at the annual Awards Celebration & Luncheon, the William T. Newman, Jr. Spirit of Community Award will recognize individuals who have demonstrated a tireless and unselfish commitment to improving the quality of life in Arlington. Multiple honorees may be recognized each year. Submit a nomination here by May 27, and click the button below to learn more and meet previous Award recipients.

It’s graduation season, and that means education may be on your mind! The community foundation can help you make a difference in the lives of young people by funding education. Certainly establishing a scholarship fund at the community foundation is one way to accomplish this goal. But that’s not the only way.

Three other ideas to consider as you explore ways to make an impact through education:

1. Establish a designated fund for educational institutions.
2. Establish a field-of-interest fund to support specific aspects of education.
3. Make a donation to our Community Scholarship Fund.

Click here or the button below for more details on each option, and send us an e-mail or give us a call at 703-243-4785 to see what's best for you!

Bonus: Use the Nonprofit Directory (now featuring 90+ orgs!) to find and connect with Education organizations using the "Area of Impact" menu in the search bar.

The current definition of “affordable” leaves out many people who are essential to Arlington’s workforce, cultural, and economic success. This disparity is why Arlington Community Foundation (ACF) advocates for affordability at 30% AMI, which we call “deep affordability.”

Recently, with the approved FY25 budget, Arlington County took a major step for deeper housing affordability. Based on advocacy and analysis led by ACF, the County Board has invested an additional $1 million to “buy-down” apartments to rents affordable to families and individuals earning less than 30% AMI. This is the first time in Arlington’s budget history that funds are specifically earmarked for deep housing affordability at 30% AMI. Click here or the button below to learn more about what it means, why it matters, and what we're doing to go deeper.

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