The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Several years ago the concept of forming a Big Sandy Educational Foundation was discussed amongst educational officials at Big Sandy Schools. What is a foundation? A Foundation is s a legal categorization of nonprofit organizations that will typically either donate funds and support to other organizations, or provide the source of funding for its own charitable purposes. Through a time period of research and planning the actuality of starting an Education Foundation started to take form in the Fall of 2013.

The Big Sandy Education Foundation was established in 2015 and targets funds to make our schools even better. It is the goal of the Foundation to provide educational opportunities that are beyond the scope of the local school and board of trustees.

The Foundation was started for people or businesses who would possibly like to make a donation to a 501(C)3 Foundation and receive the tax benefits of doing so. Also the Foundation is governed by a local board of directors who are separate from the public school system. The advantage of that is the donor can be in complete control of their donation and how it is to be spent without being bound by the complexity of school finances, school boards and policies.

The purpose of the Foundation would allow donors to contribute to specific programs or activities as they see fit. For example, a donor may want to donate to the Foundation and specifically ask the funds to be allocated to the science department for specialized lab equipment or maybe to the Ag-Ed program for equipment upgrades that are beyond the financial capacity of the school. A donor may want to establish a scholarship program through the Foundation to help students when they graduate high school or help fund an after school program to work with at risk students. The possibilities are endless. The Foundation is not intended to replace or supplant the responsibilities of the local school district to supply the best educational opportunities for students but to "enhance" those opportunities as the donors see fit.

In the Spring of 2015 the Foundation held it's organizational meeting with their attorney to get the Board of Directors in place and approve the Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation. Since that time all required paperwork has been filed with the State of Montana and the IRS to meet the requirements of establishing a Foundation and obtaining the 501(C)3 status. One of the most distinct provisions unique to Section 501(c)3 organizations as compared with other tax exempt entities is the tax deductibility of donations. It provides a deduction, for federal income tax purposes, for some donors who make charitable contributions to most types of 501(c)3 organizations.

One may ask; how do you contribute to the Foundation? It is simple. You can contact any of the Board of Directors or send your donation directly to the Foundation and a tax receipt will be provided for each donation. As the Foundation continues to develop one will be able to find more information on the Big Sandy Schools webpage at http://bigsandy.k12.mt.us/domain/78

The current Board of Directors of the Big Sandy Education Foundation are: Chairman- Joseph Von Stein, Vice Chair- Jennifer Darlington, Secretary/Treasurer- Shaud Schwarzbach, Director- Bart Bitz and Ex-Officio Director- Brad Moore. If you have any questions about the Foundation contact one of the Foundation Directors and they will gladly help you out.