History

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE VANDERBURGH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

The Vanderburgh Community Foundation was one of the first two county foundations to form in Southwest Indiana in 1992.  Today, the state of Indiana is the only state in which there is at least one community foundation in every county.  This is a direct result of Lilly Endowment's desire to reach out into the communities and their understanding that community foundations are the best vehicle for determining the unmet needs and encouraging the people in the community to work together to meet those needs.

In the early ‘90's, former lieutenant governor John Mutz was the president of Lilly Endowment.  Under Mutz's leadership, the Endowment expanded its community development work outside the Indianapolis area by using matching grants to encourage the creation of local community foundations.

In 1992, a small group of citizens here in Evansville became excited about the concept of community foundations and, under the leadership of Sara Davies, Bob Koch, and Lee Cooper, the idea took flight.  Since Evansville is the center of a multi-county region, the structure developed with the Community Foundation Alliance as an umbrella organization individual county foundations in each of the nine member counties. 

Lilly Endowment assisted with drafting the original governing documents and provided a series of matching grant opportunities to help grow the foundations.  Sara Davies was the first President of the Alliance, serving each of the county foundations.  Marilyn Klenck was the first paid employee.  Jane Buthod was the first staff dedicated to the Vanderburgh Community Foundation, followed by Barbara Dicken.

The vision of Lilly Endowment and people like Bob Koch, Lee Cooper, and Sara Davies has been realized through the tremendous growth and work of the Vanderburgh Community Foundation.  The foundation has become a significant force for change in our community. 

In addition to awarding grants to nonprofit organizations and scholarships to qualified students for postsecondary education, the Vanderburgh Community Foundation provides leadership on emerging issues facing the people it serves and creates and funds initiatives to effect positive long-term change in our community.  Recent initiatives include the formation of the Community Coalition Committee to address the issue of generational poverty and the Women's Fund of Vanderburgh County that bring together hundreds of women each year to make a difference in the lives of women and children in Vanderburgh County.

The Board of Trustees of the Vanderburgh Community Foundation envisions a vital nonprofit community known for endowed philanthropy, and the ability to address emerging issues.  Since its inception, the foundation has become a significant force for change in our community.  In addition to awarding grants to nonprofit organizations and scholarships to qualified students for postsecondary education, the Vanderburgh Community Foundation provides leadership on emerging issues facing the people it serves and creates and funds initiatives to effect positive long-term change in our community.  Recent initiatives include the Women's Fund of Vanderburgh County that has brought together more than two hundred women to make a difference in the lives of women and children in Vanderburgh County. 

About the Community Foundation Alliance

In 1990, a group of area civic leaders came together to discuss how to participate in a newly announced incentive being funded by Lilly Endowment. Giving Indiana Funds for the Future, or GIFT, was an initiative of the Endowment aimed at helping Indiana counties, particularly rural counties, create community foundations.

Our mission

Our Mission is to provide leadership assis­tance and support for member foundations as they promote philanthropy and build endowment to serve their communities.

A new concept

At the time, the community foundation concept was relatively new in most parts of Indiana. Unlike private foundations, com­munity foundations are designated as "public charities" by the Internal Revenue Service because they raise a significant portion of their resources from a broad cross-section of the community each year. They are independent organizations that receive money from a variety of sources including individuals, corporations, govern­ment agencies and private foundations.

Designed for regional impact

From the start, the early organizers of what would become an alliance of community foundations believed that a regional structure could provide greater benefits at lower cost. Such a structure not only would allow for cost-effective administration and governance but also would free local leaders to focus on building endowment, working with donors, and grantmaking in their counties.

The Alliance was formed

As a result, the Community Foundation Alliance was incorporated in March 1991. The Posey County Community Foundation and Vanderburgh Community Foundation were the first to join the Alliance in 1992, followed by the Daviess, Perry, and Gibson county community foundations in 1993, the Spencer and Knox county community foundations in 1996, and the Warrick and Pike county community foundations in 1998. These nine community foundations elected to join the Alliance rather than bear the expense of creating and staffing their own separate charitable nonprofit corporations.