The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties celebrated its 50th year of philanthropic works on Wednesday, February 23rd. A luncheon was held at The Kravis Center at 11:30am in the Cohen Pavilion.
Founded in 1972 by Winsome McIntosh and her late husband, Michael, a year after their arrival in Palm Beach. There were only three or four charitable foundations in Florida and there was a desperate need for assistance. As of 2022, the organization has awarded more than $200 million in grants and scholarships over its 50-year history.
“I was in my 20s, Michael was in his 30s, and we had a baby. He had come and gone from Palm Beach for years with his family, so he was somewhat familiar with it”
“We moved to take care of my father-in-law in 1971. My mother-in-law was the largest remaining family member … stockholder of the A&P. That is where the money that set up the foundation came from,” McIntosh told the Daily News.
The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, better known as the A&P, operated a grocery store chain from 1859 through 2015 when it filed for bankruptcy. From 1915 through 1975, it was the largest grocery retailer in the United States.
The guest of honor Winsome McIntosh, Founder of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties spoke. As one of the first charities of it’s kind in the area, the McIntosh’s were able to directly connect their ultra-high-net-worth friends to the nearby community’s most pressing needs. With a grass-roots approach direct impacts were made with housing assistance, hunger and education.
The highlights were the keynote speaker John Palfrey, President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The MacArthur Foundation is responsible for 9 billion in funds and must allocate 5% or 300-450 million towards charitable acts yearly. The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties benefits from The MacArthur foundation’s generosity.
$1 million dollars in scholarships to 107 students in Palm Beach and Martin Counties has been allocated in 50 years.
From its inception, The Foundation was supported by gifts from the community where it served as a philanthropic advisor connecting donations directly to those committed to local causes. Now, it has grown vastly in the last 50 years with over 500 guests to celebrate its accomplishments and those benefiting from the changes in the community 50 years ago were able to make changes in their own lives, and those of their descendants. The impact is real and multi-generational.
Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties | Forever… (yourcommunityfoundation.org)
