More than 70 years ago, Kitty Armour’s handwritten will established a legacy of care and inclusion through a gift to the San Francisco Foundation. Her gift was designated to support people living with limb loss and individuals who are blind, reflecting her desire to improve the lives of others.
By creating an endowed fund, Ms. Armour invested for the long term, with distributions used each year to provide support to nonprofit organizations, while the principal remains intact.
Last year, the fund granted approximately $74,000.
While Ms. Armour could not have foreseen advances in technology or the evolution of the organizations serving these communities, the flexibility of her gift continues to positively impact people’s lives. One recent grantee, the Limb Care Foundation (founded 42 years after her death), used the distribution from the fund to host an adaptive soccer clinic for athletes with disabilities, including amputee soccer, blind soccer, and mixed adaptive play. The organization also assembled and distributed hundreds of Limb Care Kits, providing essential supplies to people in need. “The success of this event would not have been possible without Ms. Armour’s generous support in partnership with the San Francisco Foundation,” says Laduan Smedley Jr., President of the Limb Care Foundation. “This investment allowed us to bring athletes, families, volunteers, and community partners together to experience adaptive sports, learn from one another, and serve our broader community.”
The impact of Ms. Armour’s gift has also grown over time. Starting with a gift of nearly $300,0000 in 1977, the San Francisco Foundation’s top-notch investment management has allowed the fund to grant more than $1.5 million in grants to nonprofits and still maintain a balance of more than $2 million for future grants.
Create Your Own Legacy
Interested in creating your own legacy through a planned or endowed gift? Contact Stephanie Dustman (415-733-8534 or [email protected]) to learn more.
