Editor’s note: This is the first in a new series of occasional columns highlighting the work of the Brown County Community Foundation.
There are 94 community foundations across Indiana, including one in every county. These foundations manage donations carefully, making sure they support local needs while keeping the original donations available for the future. Each foundation endowment is designed to last “forever,” remain neutral, and address the most important needs in the community within the limits of their resources.
The Brown County Community Foundation (BCCF), with its $18 million endowment, is smaller than some Indiana foundation endowments, but it’s very effective in enabling our community to be supported and provide needed services. For 31 years, BCCF has focused on providing as much support as possible to the community through managing about 300 different funds, many of which are directed by donors who specify how exactly their money should be used. BCCF must follow legal guidelines when using these funds, just like local governments and schools have rules about how they can grant support. Other funds, called “unrestricted,” allow BCCF to decide how to address Brown County’s evolving needs.
Each year, the BCCF Board of Trustees calculates how much it can give back to the community, considering factors like investment returns, inflation, and operating costs. The goal is always to provide the maximum support possible, within the limits of the law, to be good stewards of these donations.
In some years, BCCF receives matching grants from donors like the Lilly Endowment Inc. BCCF’s current goal is to grow its endowment from $18 million to $30 million by 2030, which would allow it to give broad support to all nonprofits for the good of our community. Donations made by the end of 2025 for this purpose will be matched 2-to-1 by Lilly Endowment, meaning $3 will be added for every $1 donated locally. These matching grants are a game changer to boost the power of your donations boosting broad support for all Brown County not-for-profit organizations.
If you want to learn more about how the BCCF has impacted the community through funded projects, please visit our website at browncountygives.org. We’re also looking for volunteers to join our committees. If you’re interested, check out this link: browncountygives.org/contact/#getinvolved.
John Elliott, board vice chair of the Brown County Community Foundation, is retired from a role as CEO of the largest social service charity in Indiana, following a career as a US diplomat, college administrator and corporate executive. He has served as a volunteer board member for 25 community organizations during that career. Send comments to [email protected].
