Monthly Archives: February 2011

MPF Introduction For Prospective Members

The Mt. Pleasant Fund officially incorporated in October of 2002. The idea at that time was to create a foundation wherein our friends and family members could collaborate to find nonprofit organizations that we were collectively enthusiastic about and to then pool some of our resources (both financial and otherwise) to support those nonprofits. Since October of 2002, the Fund has made contributions totaling more than $100,000 to twelve different nonprofit organizations around the country.

When the fund first started out, we identified minorities living in poverty as our funding priority. We then refined our guidelines by identifying children living in poverty as our priority. Most recently we have been focusing on supporting those organizations that work to support teen parents and their children. We have also recently restricted our giving to programs either in Colorado or Massachusetts.

Since its inception, the Fund has had the same four directors. Flip and Liz Rosenberry, Flip’s mother Peggy Rosenberry, and Liz’s brother-in-law Jimmy Curley were the founding directors and have continued to serve in that capacity since then. While there have been contributions from people besides those founding directors (a financial contribution to the Fund entitles the donor to membership for one year from the receipt of that contribution), Flip, Liz, Peggy, and Jimmy have been the only members to serve as directors. 

At the October, 2010 Annual Meeting the Directors voted unanimously to focus on two things over the course of the next year. The first priority will involve increasing our role with the nonprofits to whom we make grants. We will do this by exploring opportunities for our membership base to not only provide financial support to our funding partners but to provide volunteer support as well.  There will be no restrictions in terms of the type of agencies we will consider funding other than that the agencies must be recommended to us by at least one of our members.

Our second priority will involve increasing our membership base.

We believe that these two priorities can and will work hand-in-hand.

Flip and Liz continue to hold as a priority of the Fund, collaborating with their family and friends in a way that enriches each other as well as our broader world community. It has never been solely about impacting our world in a positive way. Rather it has been about doing it in a way that involves those we care most about and have such great respect for (our family and our friends).

Please, if this sounds like something you’d like to be a part of, make a contribution to the Mt. Pleasant Fund, and let’s make a difference together.

FY 2009-2010 MPF Annual Report

2009-2010 Annual Report

(Fiscal Year 10/1/2009-9/30/2010)

The Mt. Pleasant Fund is an IRS recognized 501 ( c ) (3) private nonoperating foundation. It was formally incorporated in Massachusetts in November of 2002.

The original founders of the Fund were Liz and Flip Rosenberry, a husband and wife, who wanted to create a foundation that would serve to bring their friends and family together in a communal effort related to making gifts to organizations and individuals in need. They asked Flip’s mother Peggy Rosenberry and Liz’s brother-in-law Jimmy Curley to serve with them as incorporating directors. Currently, those same four individuals serve as the Directors of the Fund.

As stated in the organization’s bylaws, any individual who makes a contribution to the Fund is entitled to be a member for one full year from the date on which their contribution is formally acknowledged by an officer of the Foundation. Members also are entitled to become Directors of the Foundation (subject to a vote by the rest of the members).

An annual meeting for the purpose of ratifying the actions of the Board and electing the Board for the upcoming year is held every October.

During the last fiscal year, the Fund made four contributions. One went to The CARE Center of Holyoke, Massachusetts. The CARE Center works to educate and empower pregnant and parenting teens in Holyoke.

The second contribution went to Bridgeway of Lakewood, Colorado. Bridgeway provides a residential setting for pregnant and parenting teen mothers.

The third contribution went to Hope House of Arvada, Colorado. Hope House, like Bridgeway, provides a residential setting for pregnant and parenting teen mothers.

The fourth contribution went to the Florence Crittenton School of Denver, Colorado. The school provides education and support to teen parents and their children.

The four  grants made were within the guidelines set by the board at the beginning of the fiscal year. These guidelines indicated that the Fund would focus its funding priorities on programs that support teenaged parents and their children. The Fund only makes contributions in the states of Massachusetts and Colorado.

Additionally, the Fund sponsored a conference attended by representatives from The CARE Center, Bridgeway, and Hope House and held in Northampton, Massachusetts

The Fund’s 990PF form is available upon request.

2011 MPF Guidelines

The following guidelines apply to those applications to be submitted during calendar year 2011:

The Mt. Pleasant Fund is a relatively small private non-operating foundation in its ninth year of existence.

Last year the fund made four contributions totaling $20,000.

This year we anticipate paying out a similar amount.

For the Fund’s current fiscal year (October 1, 2010-September, 30, 2011) we are planning to only solicit requests from organizations that our membership recommends. Letters of Intent are accepted by invitation only.

Letters of intent may be sent to the fund at any time but should be in our office no later than April 15, 2011. You may feel free to email or send your letter via the postal service.

Our preference is to receive written communications rather than phone calls.

Further questions may be directed to the president of the foundation Flip Rosenberry at the address or email listed above.

Organizations sending letters of intent can expect to hear back from the foundation by mid-May, 2011. At that time, assuming we still have an interest in providing funding, applicants may be asked to provide us with additional information.

Our final funding decisions will be made no later than October of 2011.

Welcome to the Mt. Pleasant Fund blogwebsite!

On the following pages, you will find information on and about the Mt. Pleasant Fund, its grantees, and its members. This site is designed to be interactive. It seeks to further enhance the Fund’s stated objective of bringing our grantees and our members together in a way that both groups will find mutually beneficial. Take a look around and let us know what you think!

Click here to get started.