Community Foundation Of Northwest Missouri

Causes: Philanthropy, Public Foundations

Mission: Through regional collaboration, increase the power of charitable giving and philanthropy to transform our region into an economically vibrant area.

Programs: The community foundation administers funds including grants to various public charities primarily in northwest missouri. Donor advised fund: this fund allows the donor to recommend how their gift is used. The community foundation verifies the donor's recommendations meet its grant-making policies and the grantee organization is a qualified public charity or government entity. Grant awards are issued to charities in the name of the fund (or anonymously if the donor prefers), and contributions to the fund qualify for income tax deduction in the year they are made. Field of interest fund: the donor instructs the community foundation to use the available grant dollars in a particular area of interest, such as education, health, youth, the environment and so forth, rather than restricting the money to one organization. This fund is flexible enough to meet changing community needs in a specific interest area. Designated fund: the donor instructs the community foundation to pay available grant dollars to one or more specific named charitable organizations, usually in perpetuity. Donations are then sent in the donor's name each year. Because the gift is given through the community foundation, the organization also received services for planned giving and investment. The foundation monitors how donations are used to be sure a need always exists. Scholarship fund: this fund allows donors to invest in the community's future and help deserving students achieve their lifetime dreams. These funds provide support for individuals pursuing a training or educational opportunity. As part of the fund, donors can specify certain eligibility criteria, such as the school(s) students must graduate from or be admitted to, intended major, gpa, act score or financial need. Grants may be awarded to the individuals themselves, provided the foundation does the required follow-up, or the educational institution. Organizational fund: this fund is established by public charities and offers them a simple and efficient way to build endowment and create sustainability. The community foundation helps the organization with planning, investing and administering the funds, as well as distributes grant dollars to the organization for general purposes. Unrestricted funds: the donor allows the community foundation to use available grant dollars for a broad range of community issues. This allows the foundation to respond to changing community needs over time.

the regional vitality initiative is intended to support the northwest missouri citizens and leaders in creating sustainable systems supporting regional collaboration that drives regional philanthropy and prosperity.