General information
What is the mission of the Steve Glidden Foundation (SGF) ?
SGF’s mission is to realize the unfulfilled promise of Steve’s life, to honor his enthusiastic and generous spirit, and to preserve his memory as a blessing to all, by creating, promoting and supporting charitable projects that embody the values that guided Steve’s brief but very full life.
What does the Steve Glidden Foundation (SGF) do with the money it raises?
SGF supports the needs of children exposed to domestic violence, as well as those who are refugees or homeless, by providing summer camp scholarships. SGF does not operate its own summer camp. Instead, we provide financial support directly to carefully selected camps, and indirectly through other eligible organizations. Although we can consider eligible children from all over the US, our focus is on helping children living in the New England area.
How does the Steve Glidden Foundation (SGF) raise money?
We have raised money through individual donations and through a variety of current initiatives such as the Amazon Smile program and a tiny Amazon site called SGF Book Nook Plus. In the past, we raised money by participating in community fairs and events; through Steve-Bay (our own little charity auction site); through a perpetual bottle and can redemption drive; and from the sale of Entertainment coupon books. We also sell SGF shirts, mugs and tote bags through the website – we still have some great items in our remaining inventory! Our enormous SGF Yard Sales in past years generated over $10,000 per sale, in addition to being a ton of fun (but admittedly 10 tons of work)!
How much of the money raised in any given year gets disbursed as scholarships and other support?
The money we give out in grants approximates what we generate in interest and dividends on our endowment. As the endowment grows, we are able to increase the amount of the scholarships. Since its beginning in 2001, SGF has provided nearly $1,100,000 in scholarships.
The need is so great. Why focus on an endowment? Why don’t you just distribute all of the money you raise?
We want the organizations we support and the children they serve to be able to rely on SGF’s dependable support, year after year. An endowment provides the type of security and longevity over time that the children and the camps desperately need.
What if I want to make a donation and “earmark” it to be spent in a specific year for a specific program?
Some donors prefer that their generosity benefit all of our programs, while others wish to “earmark” their donation for a specific camp or program. We are glad to honor individual donor requests provided the requests align with the requirements we take seriously as a federally-registered charitable institution. A number of donors have earmarked their contributions to Camp Winona in Bridgton, ME, enabling us to target some of our scholarship funding to honor these earmarked requests.
Can I make a donation in honor of someone’s birthday, anniversary, bar or bat mitzvah, confirmation, graduation or other occasion? How about in memory of someone’s passing, or in prayer for their recovery?
Absolutely. Unless the donor or honoree wishes to remain anonymous, every donation made in honor of, or in memory of, is noted as a tribute on the SGF website. Each honored person or bereaved family receives a personal acknowledgement from us, noting the source of the honorary or memorial contribution (but not the amount of the donation). The donor receives a copy of the letter we send to the honoree or family. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent permissible bylaw and are acknowledged as such in writing.
The SGF Summer Camp Scholarship Program
Who received grants from SGF during the 2017 summer season?
In 2018, SGF exceeded every record we had previously set, awarding $123,694.07 in summer camp scholarship funds that enabled 76 deserving children to attend 364.5 weeks of summer camp (115.5 weeks of which were at overnight camps) at 30 different camps. Since its founding in 2001, SGF has disbursed nearly $1,100,000 in summer camp scholarship funding. We are truly “the little foundation that could!”
Tell me more about the individual children you support. What are their names, ages and backgrounds, and why do they need SGF’s help?
If only we could act like other organizations that touch people’s hearts with photos and profiles of the children they serve. Alas, out of concern for the privacy, safety and individual dignity of these kids and their families, we cannot do this. Each and every one of the children we help has been through way too much trauma already, be it from living in a home affected by domestic violence, fleeing from war as a refugee, or suffering the shattering disruption of homelessness. In addition, the physical safety of children (and their siblings and mothers) exposed to domestic violence could be compromised if their identities were disclosed. To the extent possible considering privacy and safety issues for the kids and their families, we are glad to share general profiles and vignettes to help our supporters understand the tremendous good that their donations accomplish.
Financial information
Is the Steve Glidden Foundation a publicly recognized, registered charity?
Yes. SGF is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
I want to make a donation but I need to know SGF’s Federal Tax ID number. How can I find this out?
The Federal ID# of the Steve Glidden Foundation is 04-3565429
How much money have you raised so far?
As of December 2018 we have raised well over $1,000,000.
Why are you endowing the funds you raise?
By creating an endowment, we can fund scholarships and other worthy activities for years and years to come.
How much of what you raise goes towards salaries, overhead and administrative costs?
Virtually every dollar that we raise goes directly into the mission of the Steve Glidden Foundation. We have no paid staff and most of our supplies are donated. Other than the annual state filing fee of $35 plus a few bucks here and there for postage and miscellaneous supplies, SGF has very little in the way of expenses. We even hand-deliver as many of our donation acknowledgement letters as possible to save postage!
That’s great, but if I donate $100, for example, how much of that actually goes to the Foundation’s mission – i.e., the SGF Summer Camp Scholarship Program?
Steve’s legacy is one of honesty, optimism, altruism and compassion. We honor his values in many ways, one of which is by handling donor dollars with the utmost of integrity. SGF Trustees cover every penny of SGF’s administrative and overhead expenses (and much more) out of their own personal contributions. Therefore, 100% of donations go to support programs. In addition, a portion of SGF’s funds are invested in a diversified, financially conservative and rigorously monitored manner (note: we do not allow direct investments in tobacco, or firearms-related companies). SGF Trustees confer regularly to discuss and fine-tune the Foundation’s investment portfolio. Every $1.00 donated to SGF generates approximately $1.04 in funds that support the Foundation’s mission. We take our fiduciary responsibilities very seriously and are proud of how we handle donor contributions, and of the results we have achieved.
Donating by credit card
I want to make a donation on-line. How can I donate by credit card?
Just click on the PayPal or the PayPal Giving Fund link here or on the SGF homepage.
Signing up for Amazon Smile
Once you register with Amazon Smile and designate SGF as your preferred charity, 0.5% of your purchase goes to SGF as a donation. As of December 2018, we have raised $643.04 through this program. Although this new system generates less money than the old “referral fee” idea, it is certain, guaranteed and provides needed funds for SGF.
Go to http://smile.amazon.com/ch/04-3565429
Do you have a question that we haven’t answered?
Please contact us by email at sgf@stevegliddenfoundation.org or by phone or text at (617) 283-5784.