Become a member and receive career-enhancing benefits
Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.
Become a member and receive career-enhancing benefits
Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.
The Chapter Initiatives Fund program is a collaboration between the ACS Foundation and the ACS Division of Member Services. The program allows donors and potential donors to designate financial gifts to an ACS Chapter of their choosing. The ACS Foundation is recognized as a tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization, and therefore all contributions to a Chapter Initiatives Fund are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Why Establish a Chapter Initiatives Fund
A Chapter Initiatives Fund serves as another revenue source to provide opportunities for Chapter members. Chapters may use the funds raised under the program to cover costs associated with advancing the mission of the Chapter/ACS. These may include, but are not limited to, the following:
Educational events
Grants to cover portions of travel and accommodation for educational speakers
Research scholarships and fellowships
Educational grants to cover portions of travel and accommodation expenses to attend events such as the Clinical Congress, the Leadership & Advocacy Summit, and other Chapter-related, national/international events
Domestic and international guest scholarships and speakers
To date, 14 Chapters have joined the program and over $200,000 has been contributed to these funds. All gifts to a Chapter Initiatives Fund are held by the ACS Foundation as restricted donations for the benefit of the respective chapter.
How Chapter Accesses Funds
A Chapter Initiatives Fund committee (or similar) consisting of Chapter members may submit a request to the ACS Foundation for dispersal of funds to support an initiative. Ultimately, Internal Revenue Code (IRS) regulations and laws governing charitable foundations require that final approval for all disbursements remain with the Foundation. Disbursement requests that fall within the educational purposes of the Foundation and the guidelines of a Chapter Initiatives Fund will not be unreasonably withheld.
Who Can Donate to a Chapter Initiative Fund
Anyone may donate to a Chapter Initiative Fund. The ACS Foundation is a 501C-3 nonprofit as established by the IRS. This tax status means that donations to a Chapter Initiatives Fund are considered charitable contributions and are thus tax deductible. Once said funds are received by the ACS Foundation, they cannot be returned to the individual donor or Chapter from which they were received. If a Chapter Initiatives Fund is not utilized for a period of three years, then remaining funds shall be dispersed to the ACS General Fund.
How to Start a Chapter Initiative Fund
A Chapter Initiatives Fund may be started with an initial deposit of $500 and, once it reaches a principal balance of $2,000, the Chapter can request the Foundation to distribute the funds for appropriate initiatives. The Fund must always have a balance of at least $500.
To establish a Chapter Initiative Fund today, contact Beth Carona, Director, ACS Foundation, at bcarona@facs.org, and Ashley J. Claire, Manager, Domestic Chapter Services, at aclaire@facs.org.
