What is the Southern Federation and the Southern Federation Foundation?
The Southern Federation is an organization of heritage and culture. Its members are Syrian-Lebanese Americans who promote American citizenship and foster American ideals in all their activities. It is comprised of over 4,000 members in 49 cities who gather semi-annually in a city within its 16 state territory, to pursue and foster goodwill among the members.
When the Southern Federation of Syrian-Lebanese American Clubs was organized, its purpose and mission was to devote itself to maintaining traditional fellowship, to encourage local and regional educational, civic and charitable projects, and to contribute to charitable causes without regard to race or creed.
The Southern Federation Foundation, Inc. is the charitable arm of the Southern Federation. It is a non- profit organization charted under the laws of the State of Texas. The Foundation is a Section 501(C)(3) approved Internal Revenue Service entity, thereby allowing all contributions to the Foundation to be fully tax deductible.
The Foundation's purpose is to use its income and principal for literary and charitable purposes which includes the Kahlil Gibran Scholarship program and such other projects which may come into being.
Contributions to the Foundation are earmarked for distribution to four main sources: the Scholarship Fund, the Charity Fund, the Cultural Fund, or the Humanitarian Fund.
Acknowledgment for contributions made to any fund within the Foundation will appear in the annual Foundation booklet. Donations by individuals or organizations may be made to an existing fund, to establish a specific fund (either annual or endowment), or for special designated projects.
Contributions to annual funds will be available for use in the fiscal year in which they are made. Permanent or Endowment Funds will use only the interest accrued for the stated purpose. The interest can be accumulated to produce a permanent fund for a specific purpose, or to achieve a desired level of total contributions in an existing permanent fund or endowment.
The following classifications have been established and apply to all funds within the Foundation:
| Founder |
$100,000 or more |
| Benefactor |
$50,000 to $100,000 |
| Platinum |
$25,000 to $50,000 |
| Gold |
$10,000 to $25,000 |
| Silver |
$5,000 to $10,000 |
| Bronze |
$1,500 to $5,000 |
| Patron |
$500 to $1,500 |
| Friend |
$1 to $500 |