The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore (CFES) was established in 1984, and is located in Salisbury, Maryland. Its mission is to "To strengthen our community by connecting people who care with causes that matter to improve quality of life in our region" and its vision is for "...a community where all can live, learn, work, create and prosper". It serves the three lower counties of the Eastern Shore of Maryland: Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester. Annually CFES awards more than $6 million in grants and scholarships. In June 2010, the Council on Foundations released a report titled Benchmarking Beyond Asset Size which ranked the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore 23 in the nation, out of over 700 community foundations, for receiving the most gifts per capita for fiscal year 2009. The same report was released in April 2014 ranking CFES 84 in the nation for most gifts received per capita for fiscal year 2013. CFES is one of a growing number of community foundations across the U.S. and the world, and is a 501(c)(3) public charity organization. Philanthropic funds CFES works with individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofit partners to establish funds suited to their philanthropic needs. Available funds are donor-advised, designated, field of interest, scholarship, unrestricted, and agency. Each donor's funds are pooled for investment management purposes to minimize costs and achieve a greater return, therefore making it possible for a smaller individual fund to enjoy the same benefits as a large foundation. The Foundation is also able to respond to urgent community needs through funds such as the Disaster Fund which supported areas such as Crisfield, Maryland affected by Hurricane Sandy and the Tri-County region during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland. Another urgent need fund is the Help Your Neighbor Fund. This fund provides pharmaceutical, food, and utility assistance to over 150 local charities. Another example of funds that benefit the community are two funds established in July 2011 to benefit the Salisbury Police Department: Salisbury Police Department K-9 and Mounted Unit Fund, which will establish a K-9 unit and reestablish the mounted unit, and the Salisbury Police Department Future Officer Recruits College Education Scholarship Fund, which will allow the Salisbury Police Department to offer college scholarships to the 2-year Criminal Justice program at Wor-Wic Community College. In 2011 the Foundation's donors launched The Women's Fund, which provides grants that address the needs of women and girls