An Intimate Chat with Our Board Chair and Executive Director
Join our Board Chair, Donald Kress, and our Executive Director, Joëlle Allen, as they reflect on their combined 40 years as board members of Peacock Foundation, Inc. Learn about the early days, the growth of the Foundation over the years, current community partnerships, and expectations for the future.
The Early Days
Do we know what inspired Mr. Peacock to set up Peacock Foundation, Inc.?
Don:
While only two of our seven current Board Members knew Mr. Peacock, we do have the founding documents and correspondence that describe the inspiration behind establishing Peacock Foundation, Inc. (the Foundation).
Mr. Peacock was in his early twenties when he moved to Miami in 1927, during the land boom that followed the 1926 hurricane that devastated South Florida. The stock market crash leading to the Great Depression of the late 1920s affected Mr. Peacock, and a philanthropic heart was born. He began investing in Miami’s downtown real estate and helping the community’s needy recover from economic and environmental disasters.
His personal commitment to volunteerism, particularly through the Salvation Army and Miami Kiwanis Club, gave him a deeper understanding of how to address problems. We believe that his overarching goal of creating the Foundation was to support local charities that have a transformative impact on the lives of disadvantaged Miami-Dade children and families by instilling hope and optimism.
Joëlle:
In 1947, Mr. Peacock established Peacock Foundation, Inc. with a gift of $200 and three lots of real estate on SW 8th Street. He believed a private foundation would be able to support important community initiatives in perpetuity – with the assistance of a trusted Board of Directors.
I love to dig out the leather binders and revisit the beautiful calligraphy-like signatures on the report on the Foundation’s first fiscal year ending November 30, 1948, which details the distribution of $512 in grants to individuals and four nonprofits: Red Cross, March of Dimes, Kiwanis Youth Foundation, and United Way.
Mr. Peacock’s passion for helping his neighbors has led to significant positive change in our community for decades. He recognized that leaders and their organizations, working most directly with local issues, were best equipped to solve them.
The philanthropic vision of Mr. Peacock at the Foundation’s inception continues to guide our work today.
Growth Over the Years
How did the Foundation evolve after Mr. Peacock’s death?
Joëlle:
When Mr. Peacock died in 1994 at the age of 91, the total assets of Peacock Foundation, Inc. were under $1.7 million, and annual grants were $83,616. Once the estate was settled, the Foundation grew substantially. This increased stewardship responsibility meant that it was time to strategize about the Foundation’s future.
Mr. Peacock’s long-time secretary (and my mentor), Barbara Rickard, shared his vision during this transition. Her journey with the Foundation began in 1963 as a bookkeeper and Board Director. She worked tirelessly to ensure the effectiveness of the Foundation’s grantmaking and became President and CEO in the late 1990s.
When I joined the Foundation in 1997, we conducted an in-depth analysis of the almost fifty years of grantmaking during Mr. Peacock’s lifetime. The results included a grant database that now lives online in Foundant and the creation of a professionalized process of investing in the community.
One of the changes was to approve fewer and larger grants quarterly, rather than Mr. Peacock’s end-of-year distribution of many, smaller checks to local nonprofits where he felt a personal connection. Despite this new application process and structure, the Foundation has never lost its heart for charitable giving.
Don:
When I joined the Board in 2012, it was clear that our principles have remained very similar since inception. Donor intent is always at the top of our minds, yet as a Board we have had to be flexible enough to adapt to the changes over the years. Obviously, Miami is a very different place than it was in 1947.
The Board ensures that the Foundation’s grantmaking reflects Mr. Peacock’s timeless philosophies. It emphasizes the importance of strong values and moral character, achieving self-sufficiency, helping others, and being fiscally responsible stewards of philanthropic funds.
Celebrating Partnerships
Please describe the Foundation’s impact on our community over the years.
Don:
Mr. Peacock invested in hundreds of nonprofits over his lifetime. He supported many different religious organizations and gave wholeheartedly and without judgment for the good of the community.
There are countless examples of Peacock Foundation, Inc. grants that have enabled these organizations to expand their services to reach more people. Building the capacity of the sector may be our most significant contribution.
Joëlle:
I’m not so sure that we can capture our impact in a few sentences … honestly, I’d prefer to have our grantees share how the Foundation has impacted the people they serve.
There are many nonprofit organizations that have received Foundation funding consistently for decades, and there are even more that have received one or two or even several grants. Is it too bold to say that we have played a role in almost all areas of vital work serving our community’s most vulnerable?
Our unwavering support of people without housing, the hungry, underprivileged children, youth in the foster care system, and the elderly does make a difference at the individual, family, and system levels.
It is an extraordinary privilege – one we never take for granted – to work in trusted relationships with the true heroes of our philanthropic sector. We listen deeply and learn from our partners for the benefit of our community. Collaborating with our grantees and other funding partners is what allows us to act even more boldly and effectively.
Where We Are Going
Any thoughts on the future to share?
Joëlle:
Spoiler Alert: At the end of every site visit, I ask if there is anything that I should have asked but didn’t; at the end of every board meeting, I ask if there is anything that we have missed. We will continue to be curious, to ask questions, and to respond with financial and other resources.
Questions about the future feel fraught in this moment, but I am sure that the Foundation will stay true to Mr. Peacock’s original intentions, which I often summarize as feeding the mind, the body, and the spirit.
Decisions about how to invest in our beloved community must adapt to our changing environment but will always be driven by data and by hope. With honesty and integrity, we will continue to help people help people, especially those who cannot help themselves.
Don:
We will continue to fund projects where the need is greatest and that have difficulty in finding funding. The Foundation has been a steadfast presence in our community for more than 75 years.
We value our long-term relationships and partnerships. With the Foundation’s extensive history in Miami, we will continue to respond to changing times and address our community’s most urgent needs. It is important for us to look back and forward at the same time.