Fla. Foundation Cleared to Collect $40-Million Bequest

A South Florida grant maker has received a $40-million gift following the resolution of estate issues involving the late donor, reports the Sun-Sentinel.

The gift to the Community Foundation of Broward from Mary Porter, the largest in its history, will form an endowment that will distribute $7-million a year to local service groups, said Linda Carter, the foundation’s CEO.

Ms. Porter died of a sudden illness in 2009 at the age of 98 and had no surviving relatives. The daughter of a Pottstown, Pa., physician who built that town’s general hospital, she became active in community and charity works in South Florida after moving to Fort Lauderdale.

The bequest was held up by challenges to Ms. Porter’s will involving former personal assistants, financial advisers, the foundation, and other plaintiffs but the case has been resolved, Ms. Carter said.