About the Foundation

The purpose of a community foundation is to contribute to community betterment. The concept is as ingenious as it is simple-a means by which a substantial amount of money can be built over a period of time from contributions both large and small, the income from which is used to help meet the community's charitable needs.

Because these contributions are endowed, they are never spent. Instead, they are permanently invested to produce income. The income earned is then used to help meet the community's charitable needs--from social work to art and culture.

Donors like you may set up individual funds, in your own name or the name of a loved one, and have essentially as little or as much control as you wish in determining which charities benefit from your fund. Or, you may choose to contribute to a variety of existing funds, set up to serve particular purposes. We also have a general endowment fund, which is distributed by the foundation to address needs and opportunities in our community as they change over time.

A community foundation is governed by a local board of directors chosen for their knowledge of the community and designed to be representative of a broad cross-section of the community.

A community foundation is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All contributions are tax deductible to the maximum amount allowable for gifts to a public charity.

The Rush County Community Foundation now holds over 130 funds, and have permanent endowment assets of over $6.5 million.

Your gift to a community foundation is a gift for now and in the future. Following are the answers to the ten most asked questions:

1. What is the Rush County Community Foundation?
   The Foundation helps people of all means improve their community now and in the future. As a public foundation, we help donors provide grant making dollars for not-for-profit organizations that serve Rush County citizens.
2. How is the Foundation operated? Volunteer board members donate their time and talents to serve as ambassadors and oversee the administration of assets and investments. Several other community volunteers serve on the various committees. The daily operation of the office is managed by paid staff members.
3. What is the difference between charity and philanthropy? Charity is money given to meet an immediate need such as food for hungry persons, shelter for the homeless, etc. Philanthropy also provides charitable funds but is more strategic, aiming for long-term improvements.
4. Is the Rush County Community Foundation a "charity" itself? Yes. The Foundation is a charitable organization under the tax code and relies on public support of its operating costs. However, our primary role is to encourage and administer philanthropy to benefit effective programming and projects throughout the community. People give through RCCF to the community.
5. What is an endowment? To the Foundation, an endowment gift is a permanent gift that cannot be spent. The gift is invested for growth and income, and a portion of the income is granted each year to support charitable causes. Most of our funds are endowments.
6. What is the difference between the Rush County Community Foundation and the Rush County United Fund? The Rush County United Fund accepts donations each year and distributes those funds to worthy member human service organizations for projects they propose. The Foundation on the other hand accepts gifts for all types of charitable purposes, but it only spends the income produced by those gifts.
7. Why establish a fund with the Foundation instead of giving directly to a favorite charity? A gift to RCCF to support a favorite charity or cause is a permanent gift that will produce income forever. A donor who supports a particular charity with an annual gift can continue to support the charity forever by making a permanent gift to RCCF for that charity in his/her will or estate plan.
8. What does the Foundation charge? The annual fee for endowments is 1% of the fund’s value. RCCF provides a variety of administrative services to donors, including investment management, gift acceptance and receipts. Annual reports and newsletters are also provided.
9. Is the Foundation designed to serve only the wealthy people? No. Anyone can be a philanthropist by making a donation of any size to any of the existing funds. They may also establish a new fund by contacting a member of the Board or staff.
10. How does the Foundation decide how to distribute community grant funds? Our Grants Committee meets three times a year to consider the requests from the various community agencies desiring help with worthwhile projects. The committee reviews the submitted requests to decide which requests will meet the needs of the most members of the community, or meet a particular need of the community, or serve an area of the county that has not been served recently. Separate committees have been established to select the scholarship recipients each year. Some grants automatically go to specific groups designated by the donor when the fund was established.

For more information, or to be included on our mailing list, please contact:

Rush County Community Foundation
c/o Garry Cooley, Executive Director
117 N. Main St.
Rushville, IN 46173
Email: info@rushcountyfoundation.org

Back to Top