Community Foundation For Palm Beach And Martin Counties

Susan Brockway Helps Connect Donors

Susan Brockway has spent a big part of her life helping her community. A successful businesswoman and resident of Boca Raton for 30 years, she’s served as a volunteer on a number of boards and committees. Three years ago, she joined the board of directors of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties (CFPBMC).

“I liked the fact that the foundation makes charitable giving simple and convenient for people,” she says. “I felt like there were a lot of people we could help in South Palm Beach County and that the foundation could be a good resource for them.”

Established in 1972, the foundation’s mission is to connect donors to community needs and causes that are meaningful to them, invest charitable dollars prudently to achieve lasting results and lead collaborative solutions to community issues.

Most recently, the foundation raised $3.7 million for its COVID-19 Response Fund, with $2.5 million deployed to primarily three areas of need: food, housing assistance and access to health services. Many children in Palm Beach and Martin counties rely on schools as their primary source of meals. So, when schools closed, many local food banks saw demands skyrocket.

“We convened about 20 other nonprofits, and they have been looking at grant requests and determining where funds were best deployed,” she says.

In June, the CFPBMC sent more than $1.5 million to the Bahamas for Hurricane Dorian relief and recovery efforts. The foundation, known for connecting people to causes that matter, is also one of the largest providers of scholarships in the area.

“More than 100 donors have set up scholarship funds,” says Brockway. “Since 1983, we have given away more than $15 million in scholarship money.”

The CFPBMC also has been successful in helping nonprofits establish their own endowment funds “to ensure that their donors know that their money is being used in ways that fulfill their wishes,” she says.

Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties is located at 700 S. Dixie Highway, Ste. 200, West Palm Beach. For more information, call 561-659-6800 or visit yourcommunityfoundation.org.

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