Frequently Asked Questions

The Community Foundation is a public, tax-exempt 501(c)3 charitable organization that is built to be a funding hub for all charitable organizations and causes within Huntington County. We accomplish this through building and growing endowment funds.

An endowment fund is a collection of donations with the same unified purpose. The principal of the donations is never distributed and will remain in the fund forever.

Annual monetary distributions come only from the earnings on the investment of the donations. Our current distribution percentage is 4% of the fund value at the end of the previous year.

Our funds are managed by financial advisors who work closely with an investment advisory firm to properly diversify our investment portfolio. This double-layer approach helps us mitigate the risk and maximize the growth of our endowment funds.

Our job at the Community Foundation of Huntington County is not to be in competition with local charities for your donations. Local charities certainly need our donations to stay financially viable and provide their valuable services to our community. We simply offer an alternative funding source.

By distributing a percentage of our endowment funds annually, we help ease the pressure of yearly fundraising for our local charities and increase their overall sustainability.

There is no minimum donation amount for any of our existing funds which are detailed in the back of this report (we have over 200 different funds).

However, if you would like to start your own endowment fund, we ask for a minimum of $5,000 for an endowment fund and $10,000 for a scholarship fund.

Yes. Scholarship funds help Huntington County residents further their education after graduating high school. Designated funds are specific to one purpose such as operational support of a specific local charitable organization.

Field of interest funds are specific to one cause such as education or the arts and are allocated in the form of grants for projects that meet the specified cause. Donor-advised funds have the unique ability to allow the donor to have an ongoing say in the distributions of their fund.

Unrestricted funds, also known as our Community Impact funds, are used award grants to nonprofits that serve Huntington County

The Community Foundation administers an annual fee for endowments of 1% for the fund’s first $250,000, 1/4% for the fund’s second $250,000, and no fee for the fund’s value over $500,000. Our fees are lower than a majority of community foundations.

Revenue from fees and an annual distribution from the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors Operating Endowment Fund help cover our operational expenses.

Three paid employees, an Executive Director, a Program Officer, and an Office Manager manage the day-to-day operations.

Community volunteers donate their time and talents to serve on the our Board of Directors, providing oversight of the administration and investments and serving on various foundation committees.