22 May What is an endowment — and how can it create lasting support for nonprofits?
A community foundation is a nonprofit organization created to strengthen the community through charitable giving, strategic grantmaking, and long-term investment in local causes. At the Community Foundation of Grant County, we connect people, resources, and causes to promote sustainable impact toward the betterment of Grant County. In simple terms? We help generosity keep working long after the original gift is made.
For nonprofits, a community foundation serves as both a funding partner and a permanent source of community support. Through endowment funds established by individuals, families, businesses, and organizations, charitable dollars are invested for long-term growth, allowing grants to be awarded year after year. Instead of generosity being a one-time moment, it becomes a lasting community resource.
One of the most powerful tools in supporting local nonprofits can be designated endowment funding. When an organization has a permanently endowed fund with a healthy balance, it creates something many nonprofits dream about: dependable annual support that continues growing over time. These funds help sustain programs, strengthen operations, provide stability during uncertain seasons, and create breathing room for organizations to think beyond simply surviving year to year.
Here’s the beautiful part: the original gift is preserved and invested, while a portion of the earnings becomes available annually to support the organization designated by the donor. In many ways, an endowment becomes a nonprofit’s financial “rainy day umbrella” — quietly growing in the background while helping provide support year after year.
Alongside organization-specific designated endowments, unrestricted endowment funding — often referred to as Give To Grant Funds — plays an equally important role in strengthening the broader community. Unlike gifts tied to one organization or project, unrestricted endowments allow the Community Foundation to respond to Grant County’s most pressing needs and emerging opportunities as they evolve over time.
These unrestricted funds provide flexibility to:
– Support nonprofit programs and operations
– Invest in innovative community ideas
– Respond to urgent or unexpected needs
– Strengthen collaborations and partnerships
– Launch transformational initiatives
– Expand resources available through grant cycles
Since 1984, more than $30 million has been reinvested back into Grant County through grants, scholarships, and charitable initiatives made possible by generous donors and permanent endowment funds at the Community Foundation.
Now, Grant County has an incredible opportunity to grow that impact even further!
Through Lilly Endowment Inc.’s GIFT IX Match initiative, every $1 donated to a new or existing unrestricted Give To Grant Fund receives a $2 match from Lilly Endowment Inc. That means local charitable dollars are instantly tripled and permanently invested to support Grant County for generations to come.
Once this unrestricted match is fully achieved, the Community Foundation estimates that an additional $60,750 will become available every year in unrestricted community grantmaking for local nonprofits — forever. That annual funding would be in addition to the Community Foundation’s existing annual grantmaking support, which regularly ranges between $1 million and $3 million annually through agency and designated funds, donor advised funds, field of interest funds, scholarship funds, unrestricted endowments, and don’t forget, pass-through charitable funds — all established by generous donors committed to the future of Grant County.
And there’s more good news!
In addition to strengthening long-term community resources, Lilly Endowment Inc. also awarded Grant County an additional $1.5 million in immediate community grant funding to be distributed over the next three years to local nonprofits. This additional funding allows the Community Foundation to expand grantmaking opportunities and invest even more dollars into local organizations and community causes beyond our already planned annual funding efforts.
Organizations interested in applying for funding are encouraged to review the Application and Timelines page by clicking the button below to explore current and upcoming grant cycles, eligibility requirements, and funding opportunities that may align with their mission and goals.
Together, we are building a stronger, more sustainable future for Grant County — one where generosity continues creating opportunity, innovation, and impact for generations to come.
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