This weekend is yet another exciting weekend in Rush County:  the bicentennial torch will pass through Rush County as part of a commemorative tour to celebrate Indiana’s 200th birthday!  As we celebrate the state at a local-level this weekend, it seems an appropriate time to review the state-wide network of community foundations.

Before diving into the fun numbers, let’s review what a community foundation is.  Community foundations are nonprofit, tax-exempt, publicly-supported grantmaking organizations. Community foundations are public charities, since they develop broad support from many unrelated donors with a wide range of charitable interests in a specific community. A community foundation has an independent board that is broadly representative of the public interest and it maintains a diverse grants program that is not limited in scope. In addition to making grants, community foundations often play a leadership role in their communities, serve as a resource for grant information and broker training and technical assistance for local nonprofits.

Did you know…

• The Rush County Community Foundation is one of 94 community foundations in the state of Indiana.   Indiana is one of the few (if not only) states in the US to have each county represented by a local community foundation.  Of all of the states in the US, Indiana has the most community foundations!

As of 12/31/15:

• The 94 community foundations in Indiana represent $3 billion in combined assets
• Gifts totaling $186,224,00 have been contributed to Indiana community foundations
• Total giving from community foundations tops $132 million
• The average grant size distributed from a community foundation is $4,000
• 32,900 grants have been awarded from community foundations throughout the state
• The total number of funds among the community foundations in the state is 19,414
• Based on the county population, the RCCF’s assets per capita is $777 and grants per capita equate to $36, numbers that far exceed the majority of counties in the state.  We’re making a difference in the community, one dollar and one person at a time!

Lilly Endowment, Inc. is a key reason that each county in Indiana is represented by a community foundation, as well as the core reason the Rush County Community Foundation exists.  Lilly Endowment has been a strong supporter of community development and the improvement of the quality of life of Indiana communities.  Through its Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) initiative, which began in 1990, the Endowment has supported the development and flourishing of community foundations in every one of Indiana’s 92 counties.

Of the many remarkable organizations that serve our state, community foundations contribute funding, expertise, leadership, and resources that have developed communities throughout the state for decades.  The Rush County Community Foundation is so proud to among the community foundations represented in the statistics and impact made.

As we welcome the torch honoring our great state into the county this weekend, take a moment to recognize more than our state’s 200th birthday:  consider the many people, organizations, and opportunities possible to us because we are Hoosiers.