A is for ALWAYS.

RCCF will ALWAYS be around to support Rush County with grants for nonprofits and scholarships for students made possible from your generous gifts. This is true because of our financial structure, made up of permanent funds. (Also called endowments, but let’s not jump ahead to E just yet.) You can always count on us.

B is for BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

Our board of directors is made up of volunteers. They serve a 3-year term with the option to stay for another 3 years. After being off for a year, they are eligible to return and several have!

Legally, they ARE the corporation. They represent you, the community, in all decisions made. They establish policies, set strategies, approve grants & scholarships, and engage staff to carry out the day-to-day work. We are so fortunate to have had nearly 90 folks generously give their time to serve on the RCCF board. ❤️

C is for COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP.

When input and decisions about Rush County initiatives are needed, RCCF is at the table. Community leadership, along with serving donors and awarding grants & scholarships, is one of our main areas of focus. Look to our recent work with the Love Community Center and CBAP to see our commitment in action.

A major goal of our 2025-27 strategic plan is “convening and leading discussions toward Rush County’s next great areas of need.” When it comes to enhancing life locally, community leadership is needed. We’ll be there – both for and with you.

D is for DONORS.

The most important letter of all. Without our donors and their generosity, there would be no grants or scholarships. Or RCCF. Period.

RCCF donors touch the lives of nearly every Rush County resident. Grants made possible by their gifts support local organizations and initiatives. What makes our donors even more special is that their contributions never stop doing good work. A donation made in 1991, is still supporting our community today and will forever. Donors are the heart of the Foundation – we are so grateful for you! ❣️

E is for ENDOWMENT.

When input and decisions about Rush County initiatives are needed, RCCF is at the table. Community leadership, along with serving donors and awarding grants & scholarships, is one of our main areas of focus. Look to our recent work with the Love Community Center and CBAP to see our commitment in action.

A major goal of our 2025-27 strategic plan is “convening and leading discussions toward Rush County’s next great areas of need.” When it comes to enhancing life locally, community leadership is needed. We’ll be there – both for and with you.

F is for FUND.

A fund is an agreement between a donor and the Foundation about how their gift will be used. When a donor makes a significant gift that meets a certain threshold, they can opt to start a fund. The fund is also used for accounting purposes to track gifts from other donors, additional gifts from the original donor, and earnings from its investment.

Some types of Funds include:
* Unrestricted: Provides dollars to nonprofits for any program/project that meets the needs or interests of Rush County. These are also known as Community Grants Funds.
* Scholarship: Provides dollars to students for education beyond high school, with criteria set by the donor starting the fund.
* Designated: Provides an annual grant to an organization of the donor’s choosing.
* Field of Interest: Provides dollars to nonprofits/schools for work done on a specific topic such as autism, education, music, or mental health.

Bonus material: Last week we covered Endowments. All endowments at RCCF are funds, but not all funds are endowments. Endowments are permanent and make up the bulk of RCCF’s funds. But some are “pass through” funds, meaning they are temporary and can be spent down to $0, much like a checking account.

G is for GRANTS.

Monetary awards made to nonprofits in support of their charitable work are known as grants.

❤️ Community grants are unrestricted dollars awarded to local nonprofits whose projects or programs best meet the community’s needs or interests and impact the greatest number of people. Letters of intent to apply are accepted twice per year, due by 5/1 or 9/1. If approved, organizations submit a full proposal by 5/15 or 9/15. Our grants committee, made up of volunteers, meets to discuss applications, steward donors’ gifts, and make recommendations for funding. The board has final approval of every decision.
❤️ Field of interest fund grants are made to support specific causes, such as autism, music, or mental health. Applications are due on 9/1 each year. Projects/programs must meet criteria set by the fund founders.
❤️ Annual grants, also known as payouts, are made to organizations that have a fund set up by a donor to specifically benefit them. These grants are normally made during the 1st quarter of each year.

H is for HILBURT.

Frances Hilburt was a Rush County teacher for 41 years. In 1994, she started our first scholarship, the Frank L. and Frances L. Hilburt Scholarship. A final gift in her will in 2002 brought her total donations to just under $900,000. Other donors have contributed an additional $2,000.

Today, the Hilburt Scholarship has awarded more than $1M to Rush County students! In 30 years, the total dollars in scholarships have exceeded Mrs. Hilburt’s gifts. And her generosity will continue growing forever. This is the power of endowment. ❤️

When you have a passion for Rush County and a vision for a better future, we can help you make it come true. The amount of your gift doesn’t matter. It’s the difference it will continue to make that does.

I is for INVESTMENTS.

There are two things required to ensure that dollars through RCCF remain available to support Rush County forever – donations and investments. All gifts are carefully invested for steady growth and minimized risk. These investments create earnings, which become grants and scholarships, leaving the original gifts untouched. This is how the cycle continues forever – and so does your support. ❤️

J is for JOIN.

When you join our newsletter mailing list, you make it easy to keep up with all the latest RCCF news. Join today!

It’s super convenient – everything is right there in your inbox to read on your own time.
We make it feel more like a note from a friend.
No more leaving it to chance, hoping that you see our posts.
Always included are links to the top stories from the previous edition, just in case you missed them.
You’ll be an official RCCF insider and the first to know it all.
If you share your birthday, we’ll remember it.

K is for KNOWLEDGE. (and KAREN Brashaber, who’s in this photo)

When it comes to knowledge about the Rush County community’s needs and interests, we have an inside track through our work with a diverse set of stakeholders – donors, volunteers, nonprofits, City and County governments, schools, economic development orgs, and more.

Chris and Kristie participate in meetings with groups as diverse as County Commissioners, Kiwanis and many others in between. With our knowledge, we bring stakeholders and decision makers together to lead new opportunities to enhance local life, like the Love Community Center and the Rush County Rural Revitalization plan.

If there’s an opportunity to lead, listen, learn, and contribute to discussions and plans about local initiatives, we make sure we’re there. We use our intimate knowledge to help make the best-informed decisions for Rush County.

And we can use our knowledge to help you shape the future you want to see, right here at home.

L is for LEGACY.

Each gift you make to RCCF leaves a legacy just by the nature of permanent endowments. A gift made in 1995 is still making a difference today – and will forever!

For donors with even bigger charitable dreams, we can help you build your legacy today or one that begins after your lifetime. You can start and name a fund for any philanthropic purpose you choose or support an existing one – either with a gift made now or in your will. Whatever you decide, we make sure your wishes to enhance life in Rush County are honored in perpetuity.

M is for MISSION.

A mission statement is a simple and brief description that encompasses the purpose of an organization. Did you know we have a new one? We do – “Cultivating resources to enhance life in Rush County.” We think it sums up our purpose perfectly. ❤️

N is for NONPROFIT.

A unique aspect of RCCF is that we are a nonprofit organization – AND we serve other nonprofits. We do this through grants, trainings, and other supports.

Our 501(c)(3) nonprofit designation means your donations to RCCF are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Gifts of appreciated assets – like stock and bonds – avoid capital gains tax. QCDs (qualified charitable donation) made directly from an IRA for donors over the age 70 ½ are not counted as taxable income. And of course, all your gifts stay local to support Rush County.

O is for OPTIMISTIC.

We are optimistic because we are future-focused. We don’t just hope for good outcomes, though; we believe in them. We know that when the minds, hearts, determination, and hard work of our community come together, great progress is made to enhance life for all – today and tomorrow! ❣️

P is for PAYOUT.

A payout is the annual check an organization receives from a fund that benefits them. Having this guaranteed income source is helpful. These payouts can come from two kinds of funds. A designated fund is set up by a donor. An agency fund is set up by the organization itself. We have 60 designated endowments and 21 agency endowments. 4 orgs have both and several have more than one fund that benefits them.

In 2024, 64 organizations received $411,000 in payouts! Angie is working on the 2025 payouts now, and we’ll look forward to sharing those numbers with you soon.

If there’s a local nonprofit, school, or church you love, there’s a good chance there’s an RCCF fund to support it. If not, we can help you create one to endow what you love. ❤️

Q is for QCD.

If you’re 70½ or older with an IRA, you can make a big difference for your community – and your taxes – with a QCD. When you ask your financial advisor to make a gift directly to RCCF, it is not counted as taxable income. Plus, if you are 73 or older, it can satisfy your RMD (Required Minimum Distribution).

R is for RUSH COUNTY.

Did you know that EVERY gift you make to RCCF stays local and supports the people, places and programs of Rush County – today, tomorrow, and forever?! It’s a perfect way to live life local, as we like to say.

We ❤️ Rush County and can help you show your love of it, too.

S is for SCHOLARSHIPS.

When a donor establishes a scholarship, they set the criteria for their award. IRS regulations state that scholarships from 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, like RCCF, can only be used for tuition, fees, and course-related expenses like books, supplies, and equipment.

One application automatically determines a student’s eligibility for 82 different scholarships. The application opens in mid-December each year and is due on February 15 the following year.

Did you know that recipients are decided by a committee of volunteers? We have 48 people helping this year to decide which student best meets the criteria of the donors. Sometimes the donors themselves are involved but sometimes not. The board of directors has final approval of all awards.

Donors and recipients are invited to a celebration in mid-May, and students learn of their awards.

Due to the generosity of our donors, RCCF has awarded more than $3.6M in scholarships! ❣️

T is for TRIBUTE GIFTS.

Tribute gifts are donations you make in memory or in honor of a loved one. In 2024 the total of all tribute gifts made was $67,820. Together, they really add up. We are so grateful!

What makes tribute gifts to RCCF unique is that their impact lasts forever. Just include a note with your donation. Or our online donation page also has a place to mark any tributes, including the names and addresses of anyone you’d like notified of your gift. Of course, amounts are never shared but your kindness is.

Memorials make up most of RCCF’s tribute gifts. But the next time you need a present for your favorite Rush Countian who has everything, consider a tribute gift to a fund that supports a cause near and dear to their heart. Tribute gifts for teachers made to the Rush County Education Fund are a thoughtful gesture, too.

Many of our funds were started in memory of someone. These are truly the ultimate tribute gifts.

U is for UNRESTRICTED.

Community Grants are our most flexible dollars for supporting local nonprofits because they are unrestricted. This means that nonprofits can apply for any project that addresses a current problem or community interest.

Unrestricted grants have been used to create the mural in Milroy, buy essential equipment and tools for our volunteer fire departments, and fund First5 and its diaper pantry. These are just a handful of the projects funded by RCCF’s donors, totaling more than $1.6M of investments in Rush County.