About Us
The Foundation is dedicated to raising money for children’s cancer care and research primarily by showcasing the sport of rodeo and other aspects of the western lifestyle. At this time, the Foundation’s chosen primary beneficiary is the Boston, MA based Jimmy Fund, the principle fundraising arm of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
However, the Foundation is not formally affiliated with the Jimmy Fund or the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
The Foundation also contributes to other suitable charities with missions consistent with our goals, and we reserve the right to change our chosen primary beneficiary at any time.
To a certain extent it is because we believe that the sports of rodeo and bullriding reach their highest calling when put forth in the name of a charitable cause. They are a unique legacy of a great nation – one with a generous and courageous heart. But there is more to it than that.
The true cowboy spirit is about being brave enough to face a foe that is much greater than any man. It’s about being courageous enough to fight through the physical pain that comes with facing that foe time after time. It’s about having the strength of mind and spirit to never quit, to never give up, no matter how difficult the struggle or bleak the odds. This is how the cowboy spirit is related to the fight against childhood cancer.
The original inspiration for the work of the Foundation came from the battle fought and won by an exceedingly courageous young man named Ian Emery and his family. We remain humbled by, and in awe of, the strength and courage that sustained them through their long struggle.
It has been said that there are no atheists in a rodeo arena. So too can that most certainly be said about any pediatric oncology ward. Showing a willingness to reach beyond themselves and their own abilities and limitations, seeking out a higher power, and finding the added inner strength to never give up the fight against a fearsome and powerful foe that they do not understand nor know that they can conquer is what children who face this deadly disease do each and every day during their struggle. In that, there is no better example of what we call the Spirit of the American Cowboy.
The Foundation’s goal is to make an annual gift to our chosen beneficiary or beneficiaries. Our annual gift will generally consist of a combination of direct contributions to the beneficiary by the Foundation’s supporters, corporate matching gifts, and a grant from our giving account within the U.S. Charitable Gift Trust.
Our events are funded by ticket sales and corporate sponsorships and, with the exception of the support from those who contribute to our Cowboys4Kids Ticket Donation program, do not rely on individual charitable contributions for their support. Proceeds from our events beyond working capital needs are sent to our giving account at the U.S. Charitable Gift Trust and grants from that account make up the bulk of our annual giving. We are proud to say that 100% of any charitable donations given directly to the Foundation’s giving account at the U.S. Charitable Gift Trust go to support children’s cancer care and research. We hope to be able to grow the amount of our annual gift each year.
In 2009, we were proud to give $25,000 to our primary beneficiary, the Jimmy Fund / Dana Farber Cancer Institute. [Read more...].
In the three years of our existence, the Foundation has given a total of $71,000 to pediatric cancer research.
The Spirit of the American Cowboy Foundation is a Massachusetts-based non-profit corporation which is currently tax-exempt as a Social Welfare Organization under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. It has also established a private affiliation, in the form of a Donor Advised account, with the U.S. Charitable Gift Trust – a public charity under section 501(c)(3) – for the purpose of granting charitable contributions to other 501(c)(3) organizations. The Donor Advised account predates the Foundation and there is no legal connection between the Foundation and the U.S. Charitable Gift Trust. The Foundation is not a “sponsoring organization”, as defined by the IRS, of the U.S. Charitable Gift Trust. The maintenance of the Donor Advised account offers the Foundation three important benefits:
- It provides an extra level of privacy and liability protection for the Foundation’s benefactors by creating a legal separation between the operations of the Foundation, which involve the direct production of publicly supported events, and the Foundation’s endowment, which is set aside exclusively for the purpose of recommending grants to our chosen beneficiary or beneficiaries.
- It offers extremely cost-effective professional investment management of the Foundation’s endowment; and
- It helps the Foundation minimize overhead by handling all the due diligence and paperwork associated with the grant recommendation and distribution process.
The Spirit of the American Cowboy Foundation will not, unless we get your explicit permission first, share any personal information that you give to us with anyone, ever. Period. Fair enough?
HERE is a copy of the Foundation’s IRS Form W-9.
HERE is a copy of our IRS Tax-Exempt Determination Letter.
HERE is a copy of the IRS letter acknowledging our 2006 name change to the Spirit of the American Cowboy Foundation.
