Our Fund Foundation’s Scott Bennett Supporting the LGBTQIA+ Community

South Florida’s LGBTQIA+ community is vast, but support for organizations focused on uplifting us is wanting. It’s a need the founders of the Our Fund Foundation recognize and seek to remedy. Since 2010, Our Fund has focused on raising money and distributing it to worthy people and organizations.

The concept is simple but the execution can be complicated. Raising money, selecting grantees, and filing all the financial reports are just some of the behindthe-scenes responsibilities that make the organization work. Scott Bennett serves as Our Fund’s Chair of the Board of Directors and has been with them, in one role or another, since its founding. “I knew there was a great need to promote philanthropy to and from our community,” he told OutClique. “I started a donor advised fund with Our Fund to coordinate my philanthropic activities.”

Bennett is a retired lawyer who’s been in the Wilton Manors community for decades and moved here full time when he retired in 2017. His resumé includes getting his law degree from Cornell and 37 years as general counsel for Standard & Poors/McGraw-Hill. His commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community is just as impressive. “While at the company, I founded the LGBTQ Employee Resource Group, and helped adopt health and other benefits including pension survivor benefits for LGBTQ partners of employees. I also was instrumental in having the Company make contributions to various local and national LGBTQ organizations including NYS Pride Agenda, Lambda Legal, the NYC Pride Center, and GLADD. It was during this time period in NYC where I began my personal LGBTQ fundraising and political activism.”

Even though he’s retired, he hasn’t quit working. Unlike many corporate boards, he doesn’t just lend his name to Our Fund’s letterhead, as David Jobin, Our Fund’s CEO and President, attests. “The Our Fund Foundation has an active board, so Scott's role is to help harness that energy and keep the board moving in unison. He sets an example around his commitment of time, his financial support, and his advocacy in the community.”

Preparing For the Future

Part of setting the example includes leaving a legacy with the organization. “I included a bequest to Our Fund in my will.” Bennett spends much of his time encouraging donors to the fund to think about remaining a part of the LGBTQIA+ community even after they’re gone.

“Our donors can leave bequests which last for 10 to 20 years or perpetually, depending on their desires. I think it’s important that Our Fund can ensure their wishes are being met and can determine what our community needs will be at any given time. Our Fund is a convenient way for donors to improve the quality of life for the LGBTQ community.”

LGBTQIA+ may have a vibrant circle of friends and ‘chosen family,’ but often don’t have an obvious heir, at least from a legal standpoint. Bennett says priority number one is spelling out your wishes. “I believe everyone should have a will, providing how they want their assets to be distributed when they die. If this is not accomplished, they may find that their funds have gone to distant relatives who are not very important to them. In the worst case scenario, the funds could revert back to the state if there are no relatives.”

Seeing Double

Bennett isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. While he works with many local organizations, he is especially hands-on at Our Fund. Right now, the organization has about $25 million in assets. He believes that, with enough work and planning, that can be doubled in the next two years. “I believe Our Fund assets will go to 50 million or more. We have the possibility of increasing our grant making ability from 2.5 million on an annual basis to $5 million on an annual basis.”