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 is not to be in competition with local charities for your donations. Local charities certainly need 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 giving to any of our 200+ existing 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 $100,000 for a scholarship fund.

Yes, check out all of our Fund Options! Scholarship Funds help Huntington County students 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 Community Funds, are used award grants to nonprofits that serve Huntington County.

The Foundation applies an administrative fee for endowments, earns interest on operating accounts and receives grant funds from an operating endowment and established partners. This revenue helps the Foundation sustainably cover operational expenses.

Four paid employees, an Executive Director, a Program Manager, an Engagement Manager and an Operations Assistant, manage the day-to-day operations. Meet our team! 

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. Get to know our Board of Directors!