About

 

Our mission is to advance our city’s Livability, Innovation, Future, and Education by bringing together public-private partners to address the city’s most pressing needs through collaborative and transformational problem solving.

The Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas LIFE operates with the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and efficiency, and is committed to a superior level of stewardship of all funds.

What is a Mayor's Fund?

A Mayor’s Fund is a vehicle for corporate and philanthropic partners to invest in solutions that address a community’s most pressing and complex challenges. Successful Mayor’s Fund models utilize a public-private funding model to launch key community initiatives that improve quality of life.

About the Mayor's Fund for Las Vegas LIFE

The Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas LIFE was established by Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman and the Las Vegas City Council in 2017 as the primary mechanism for businesses, foundations and individual donors to invest in programs to improve the lives of Las Vegas residents. The fund is non-partisan and is designed to operate in a consistent manner, even as mayoral and city council administrations change over time. The Mayor, City Council, and city employees do not solicit the involvement of donors pursuant to city policy.

“The multiple causes of social problems, and the components of their solutions, are interdependent. They cannot be addressed by uncoordinated actions among isolated organizations.”

– John Kania & Mark Kramer, Stanford Social Innovation Review

How Is The Fund Managed?

  • Fiscal Management: Nevada Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization, serves as the fiscal agent, receiving all private donations and providing donors with charitable contribution tax documentation.
  • Monitoring and Reporting: The city of Las Vegas coordinates the Mayor’s Fund to ensure all programs are implemented as intended and supporters know the impact of their donations.
  • Guidance: An Advisory Committee of local business and community leaders also provides input and guidance to the Mayor’s Fund to ensure programs are set up for success.

Collaboration with Nevada Community Foundation

 
The Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas LIFE and the Nevada Community Foundation (NCF) share a common goal of partnering with donors and local nonprofits to bring about systemic reform and community improvement. After 30 years of helping donors find their charitable passion, NCF manages more than 150 charitable funds with assets totaling more than $100 million.

In addition to advocating for community investment, NCF serves as a catalyst for community development by identifying emerging issues, convening nonprofits to form synergistic partnerships, and assisting donors to guide resources to address local needs.

Oversight and due diligence provided by the NCF ensures that donations to the Mayor’s Fund are spent prudently and that all financial practices meet national standards set by the Council on Foundations.

Vision & Values

The Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas LIFE is uniquely positioned to improve the quality of life for all Las Vegas residents by combining the strengths of several sectors.

Multi-sector cooperation facilitated by the Mayor’s Fund allows for a multifaceted approach to solving our community’s most pervasive and complex challenges. Focusing on collective action recognizes that no single organization can make a measurable difference on complicated issues alone, but rather it takes everyone, across all sectors, working together toward a common agenda and shared goals.

  • The reach, stability and accountability of government
  • The agile and entrepreneurial nature of the private sector
  • The proven expertise of local nonprofit organizations in delivering vital community services
  • The altruistic investment of philanthropic individuals, companies and foundations