Where Does the Community Foundation Money Come From?

This might surprise you: the Community Foundation is not a government-funded organization.

In fact, quite the opposite! The charitable resources we steward have been built largely through the generosity of individuals, couples, and families who chose to invest in the future of White County.

Today, your Community Foundation of White County holds more than $21 million in charitable assets across more than 150 individual funds. But that $21 million didn't come from one source, and it certainly didn't appear overnight. It represents hundreds of contributors and years of generosity.

Some people give $25. Others give $25,000. Some establish a fund in memory of someone they love. Some create scholarships. Some give to causes that matter deeply to them. Others make unrestricted gifts, trusting future generations to use those resources wherever our community needs them most. Some even make plans today for gifts that won't come to the Foundation until after their lifetime.

Together, those gifts become something much bigger.

Most of the funds entrusted to the Community Foundation are endowed, meaning they are invested for long-term growth. Each year, a portion is distributed through grants, scholarships, and other charitable purposes, putting those dollars to work in our community today while preserving resources for tomorrow.

That's what we mean when we say the Community Foundation is built by the community, for the community.

In many ways, we are a reflection of the place we serve. Our funds tell stories about the people, organizations, causes, communities, and opportunities that our neighbors have believed were worth investing in.

That's also why every community foundation is a little different. We aren't working from a national blueprint that tells us what our community should care about. Our work is shaped locally by the resources we have, the needs we experience, the leaders doing the work, and the people who choose to give.

We believe some of the most meaningful change happens when communities recognize their own strengths and invest in their own future. Local people understand this place. Local organizations and leaders are doing the work. And local generosity provides resources that can help that work continue and grow.

Our community believes in our community.

The more than $21 million we steward today represents countless decisions by people who believed White County was worth investing in. Together, those decisions have created a permanent charitable resource that belongs to this place, built over generations and designed to serve generations still to come.