Our History

In the fall of 2002, a small group of Alexandrians came together to decide how best to stimulate philanthropic giving to improve the lives of the most vulnerable in their community.

One of the several catalysts was the availability of a significant sum of public money that the family of Norma L. Steuerle, a generous, long-time Alexandria resident, transferred to ACT after Mrs. Steurele's tragic death on September 11th, 2001.  After careful consideration, the group determined that a community foundation focused on Alexandria would be the right vehicle to make a deep, long lasting impact on their community.  Among the benefits they identified: 

• Helping the city focus on pressing needs while securing support and resources
• Providing a very tax-efficient way to help donors set aside charitable dollars
• Offering solutions for: 
  • Individuals who want to set up a family tradition of giving and/or are seeking to set aside assets for tax reasons now to be distributed later
  • Charities seeking to invest their endowments
  • New charitable ventures seeking to accrue initial funds
  • Donors who wish to have their own foundations, but want to avoid excessive administrative expenses and separate tax filings

Click below to read about the beginning of ACT.

From Tragedy to Trust, Alexandria Gazette Packet, September 7, 2006