Buffalo Grove mulls setting up foundation for 'quality of life' initiatives

Buffalo Grove is studying the merits of establishing a community foundation to support and manage what village staffers call "quality of life" initiatives.

The foundation, which would begin with seed money from the village but be expected to support itself within a few years, would focus on boosting the Arts Commission, th eSymphonic Band, the Artists' League and more - what Deputy Village Manager Jennifer Maltas called "the things that make our community a great place to live, that draw people into the community and become annual traditions for families."

A foundation, unlike a village, can accept tax-deductible charitable contributions. Foundations are eligible for grants and planned gifts, including "legacy" gifts.

At Monday's committee of the whole meeting, Maltas and Management Analyst Evan Michel outlined a five-year plan. Trustees told the staff to gather more information.

Michel suggests building the foundation gradually, starting with the Arts Commission, the Symphonic Band and the Artists' League. Later, the Farmers Market could join, as would the Blood Drive Committee and the Commission for Residents With Disabilities.

Some of the Arts Commission's ideas, such as a sculpture garden, would be eligible for funding opportunities under a foundation that are denied them as a village entity, Michel said.

Buffalo Grove staffers suggest the foundation get financial support from the village for five years - 150 percent of the 2016 budget for the first two years of the foundation, 100 percent in years three and four, and 50 percent in year five.

In 2016, the village has budgeted $20,700 for the Arts Commission/Artists League, the Symphonic Band, the Farmers Market, the Commission for Residents With Disabilities and the community blood drives.

Village Manager Dane Bragg said Buffalo Grove can make its financial commitment conditional on the foundation finding matching dollars. "It encourages the foundation to raise other funds," he said.

He added that Buffalo Grove needs a vehicle for residents who want to provide legacy gifts to the village.

Under a foundation, volunteers on the current committees and commissions would have more autonomy, Maltas said. Public meeting notices would no longer have to be sent out in advance every time a group meets, she added.

Former mayor Elliott Hartstein, now chairman of the Arts Commission - which called for a foundation as part of the village's strategic plan - said what was discussed Monday is different from what the Arts Commission suggested, in that the foundation would supplement and provide funding for activities that might not otherwise be available through the village, but not take over the activities.

He likened it to how the Stevenson High School Foundation operates.

"This would be an opportunity to raise money through the foundation for designated purposes," he said. "But it would not mean that ultimately the Arts Commission ... would be an arm of the foundation."

Trustee Jeffrey Berman raised concerns about spinning off functions that have long been part of the village.

"The key is to make sure that we don't set this up to fail," Berman said, noting that volunteers would have to carry the administrative and operational load. "They have to understand what they are getting into."

Berman said they also have to earn the trust of the village board, the volunteer corps and the community.