Unrestricted Dollars, Real Impact

Some of the most meaningful change in a community begins with a simple yet powerful idea: trusting local philanthropy to respond where the need is greatest. Unrestricted giving allows your Community Foundation of White County to do just that. These flexible dollars create space to listen, respond, and act when opportunities arise or urgent needs surface. They are the quiet force behind many visible successes, strengthening our community in ways both large and small.

This past month, that impact became tangible as Courage Rock Stables broke ground on a new riding arena made possible in part through unrestricted dollars. Courage Rock provides equestrian therapy for our community’s veterans, offering a place of healing, connection, and renewed purpose. The new arena will allow the organization to expand programming, serve more participants, and continue creating a safe space where veterans can build strength, confidence, and relationships.

Unrestricted dollars are also helping meet one of the most basic and essential needs in our community: caring for our youngest residents. Grants to The Diaper Bag have helped provide tens of thousands of diapers and wipes to babies across White County. Through partnerships with Family Health Clinics, Mobile Integrated Health, WIC, White County Food Pantry and other frontline organizations, The Diaper Bag ensures families receive support where they already seek care and assistance. For parents facing financial stress, this simple provision can be a powerful source of relief and dignity.

Just as importantly, unrestricted giving fuels investments in our community’s youth.

Through Developmental Asset grants, youth workers and educators receive training to strengthen relationships, build protective factors, and foster environments where young people feel known, valued, and supported. These grants also include funding to help bring new ideas to life in classrooms, afterschool programs, and youth spaces, turning learning into action.

Unrestricted dollars also support the Community Foundation’s mentorship of the Youth Philanthropy Council, a group of high school students learning firsthand what it means to lead with generosity. Council members explore community needs, raise funds, review grant requests, and award grants of their own. Along the way, they develop leadership skills, empathy, and a deeper understanding of how they can shape the future of White County. These young people aren’t just tomorrow’s leaders—they are making a difference today.

What ties all these stories together is flexibility.

Unrestricted giving allows the Foundation to respond across many areas such as veterans, families, infants, educators, and youth, without being limited to a single program or purpose. It empowers local decision-making, grounded in relationships and community knowledge.

Your unrestricted gift also carries impact far beyond the present moment. Every dollar is carefully stewarded—strategically invested to grow over time, while also being thoughtfully deployed to meet immediate needs. This balanced approach ensures that today’s generosity becomes tomorrow’s opportunity.

Right now, unrestricted giving goes even further, with opportunities to triple your impact through matching campaigns. These matches accelerate what we can do together, building resources that strengthen White County not only today, but for generations to come.

When you give unrestricted, you are saying yes to possibility.

Yes to meeting urgent needs.

Yes to nurturing potential.

Yes to a stronger, more connected community.

Your gift may not always come with a specific label, but its impact is anything but undefined. It shows up in new arenas breaking ground, in full diaper shelves, in classrooms filled with connection, and in young leaders discovering their voice.

That is the power of unrestricted giving. And it starts with you.