History of the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation, Inc.

I. Background.

Holland & Knight LLP has had a long and distinguished tradition of supporting a wide variety of charities with time, talents, and money. Firm lawyers and staff participate in hundreds of charitable activities on a regular and ongoing basis. In addition, each year the firm and people associated with it give millions of dollars to support numerous charitable organizations.

II. The Idea.

In 1995, several people within Holland & Knight LLP thought the firm's approach to supporting charitable activities could be improved. The idea they developed was to create a charitable foundation to, among other things, (1) improve the organization, management, coordination, and overall effectiveness of the firm's charitable contributions and activities and (2) provide a means to increase the visibility of those contributions and activities in the communities Holland & Knight LLP serves.

III. Organizational and Management Structures.

The implementation of that idea was the creation in early 1996 of the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation, a Florida not-for-profit corporation. The board of the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation is made up of partners within the law firm of Holland & Knight LLP, as well as executive personnel from the firm's financial area. The partners who comprise the board of the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation are individuals with a deep commitment to the Foundation's goals, and a long history of participation in Foundation programming. The foundation's executive director is Angela Ruth, and its assistant director is Tom Holcombe.

IV. Tax Status.

During 1996, the Foundation applied for and received a determination from the Internal Revenue Service that it qualifies as a tax exempt public charity under Internal Revenue Code § 501(c)(3). This means, among other things, that the Foundation can engage in the wide variety of activities permitted of public charities free from many of the restrictions imposed on private foundations.

V. Purposes.

The Foundation was created to provide a better means for giving funding support to outside charities and to provide a charitable organization structure through which its two operating programs, the Opening Doors for Children Program and the Holocaust Remembrance Project, could be conducted. Other information concerning those two operating programs is contained elsewhere in this set of materials and also will be available at the All Lawyer Meeting. Additionally, the Foundation provides:

1. A means to aggregate firm and individual charitable contributions for greater impact;
2. An enhanced tie-in with local community foundations; and
3. A ready-made charitable foundation for estate planning oriented and other charitable contributions by Holland & Knight LLP clients, lawyers, staff, and others.

1. The first and foremost funding source is Holland & Knight LLP. Charitable contributions Holland & Knight LLP previously made to outside charitable organizations are now made to the Foundation. The Foundation then decides how best to allocate those precious financial resources to achieve the best overall charitable results. This change significantly has improved the organization, management, coordination, and overall effectiveness of these charitable contributions and has provided much greater visibility for them. The firm also provides most of the funding for the Opening Doors for Children Program and the Holocaust Remembrance Project.
2. Individual voluntary contributions by the lawyers and staff of Holland & Knight LLP constitute the next largest source of funds for the Foundation.
3. Contributions also are received from other charitable foundations as well as many friends and admirers of the Holland & Knight Law Firm and Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation.