Rush County Community Foundation

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. ❤️