community chest

American  

noun

1. a fund for local welfare activities, built up by voluntary contributions.

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community chest British  

noun

1. a fund raised by voluntary contribution for local welfare activities

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Etymology

Origin of community chest

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

Example Sentences

In the Hull version of Monopoly, Mrs Bishop is recognised on a community chest card, a nod to her charity work.

From BBC

Flash your war chest or your community chest?

From The Guardian

Still, the fact that some people would so eagerly take software from the community chest, alter it, and slap a new name on the resulting software displayed a stunning lack of courtesy.

From Project Gutenberg