Mission and Principles

The Beautiful Foundation USA is a 501 C(3) non-profit Community Foundation that serves the Korean-American community and others in the metro New York and New Jersey area. Sharing the heritage and legacy of the Beautiful Foundation Korea, the Beautiful Foundation USA strives to promote a culture of giving among Korean-Americans in the metro New York and New Jersey area. As the Beautiful Foundation Korea has created a new culture of giving and has become a force for social transformation in South Korea, the Beautiful Foundation USA hopes as well to help give rise to a new culture of giving by Korean-Americans to help those in need.

Under the motto “Beyond Charity, Toward Change,” the Foundation believes that raising and disbursing funds to support neighbors in need will transform and invigorate the community for future generations.

The Beautiful Foundation of Korea is the first community foundation established through grassroots fundraising. Since the establishment of the Foundation in 1999, more than 20,000 individuals and corporations have joined the One Percent Giving Campaign while growing an initial fund of 0.7 billion won (approximately $700,000) to 38 billion won in 2006. The funds have been raised from thousands of giving hearts in Korea to be disbursed to the impoverished population through the social agencies that serve them.

OUR LOGO- Giving Seed Tree
Trees give humans a wide range of gifts. They give us shade to take rest under, woods to build things, fruits to feed, and seeds to grow another tree. The Beautiful Foundation hopes to be a foundation that gives a wide range of gifts to our neighbors as a tree does to the human.The Seed Tree of the Beautiful Foundation is special. As its name stands for, the Seed Tree is loaded with seeds. Loaded on the tree, the seed grow bigger and at the same time supports the tree to grow bigger. The seeds and the tree symbolize the ideal relation between donors and the Foundation.

The Beautiful Foundation is not made up of one person, one corporation, or one group. It includes every person who engages in small acts of sharing for their neighborhood and society. We believe that the Foundation and donors are reciprocal in assisting to make each other’s dream come true.

Orange colored, each seed beams out warm hearted hope to reach out on the ground and to sprout a tree after another. Someday, the seed will grow a forest of giving for the next generation to dream hope.

PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION
The Beautiful Foundation USA believes that community foundations should guide the community to be more charitable. Toward that end, the Foundation hopes to help improve foundations’ fundraising professionalism and grant-making efficacy so that our communities are transformed. Dedicated to the establishment of a sprit of sharing and giving, the Beautiful Foundation USA operates according to the following set of principles.

IMPARTIALITY
The Foundation believes that an impartial process of grant-making helps to target disbursements more effectively. To achieve the impartiality, the Foundation convenes a special advisory board with the responsibility for grant selection.

TRANSPARENCY

The Foundation cherishes the trust of its donors. The Foundation fully discloses any decisions on its finances, programs, and operations with donors and members of community. This is because the Foundation considers donors as vital partners for health and welfare of our community.

PROFESSIONALISM

The Foundation invites the participation of highly-respected specialists who have expertise in social welfare and in the regional community. Experts in fields such as in religion, law, civic society, social welfare, and non-profit management, volunteer to work with the Foundation.

PUBLIC ENTITY

Raising large amount of donations from just a few donors is not the objective the Beautiful Foundation USA. The Foundation seeks to have a broad donor base.