BLOOMINGTON – The Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County (CFBMC) is pleased to announce that 18 local nonprofits are participating in its latest initiative to create or grow existing endowments through June 30, 2025.
Each participating nonprofit that reaches its fundraising goal will receive a dollar-for-dollar match to grow an existing endowment or establish a new endowed fund at the Community Foundation. Participating nonprofits include:
- Beacon
- BCT Management, Inc. (Buskirk Chumley Theater)
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington
- Cancer Support Community South Central Indiana
- Community Kitchen
- Conservation Law Center (new endowed fund)
- Constellation Stage & Screen
- Lake Monroe Water Fund (new endowed fund)
- Meals on Wheels (new endowment fund)
- Monroe County Humane Association
- Monroe County United Ministries
- Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard “The Hub” (new endowed fund)
- New Hope for Families
- Sycamore Land Trust
- United Way of South Central Indiana
- USA International Harp Competition
- WFHB Community Radio
- WonderLab (additional endowed fund)
Donors can give gifts of cash, securities, or irrecoverable planned or estate gifts to support these local nonprofits in meeting their match goals. To help participating nonprofits meet their fundraising goals and secure their endowment match, visit www.cfbmc.org/agency-match to donate.
In addition to matching endowment funds, participating agencies will each receive a $10,000 capacity-building operational grant to address immediate needs or staff their endowment fundraising activities.
By leveraging the allocated capacity-building and matching funds, the anticipated impact of this initiative is expected to exceed more than $1.16 million for participating local nonprofits by the end of the campaign in July 2025.
The Community Foundation opened this matching fundraising opportunity to nonprofits serving Monroe County in December 2023. Applications to participate were received from 31 nonprofit organizations.
“It was incredible to see so many agencies thinking about how best to sustain and maximize their impact far into the future,” said President and CEO Tina Peterson.
“We would have preferred to accept all 31 nonprofits that applied into this matching campaign, added Peterson. “It was a difficult selection process for the committee and Board of Directors, but we are thrilled to be able to extend this opportunity to a total of 18 organizations. We would not have been able to accept all of these organizations into the program without the generosity of donor-advised fundholders who have stepped in to co-fund the capacity-building grants.”
Today, more than 50 local nonprofits benefit from agency or designated funds at the Community Foundation. The Foundation is utilizing its unrestricted and selected field of interest funds to support the initiative. The Foundation’s Board of Directors initially anticipated supporting approximately 10-12 nonprofits to create or grow a designated agency fund through this matching program.
Peterson added, “At the heart of everything we do is a vision to create a vibrant Monroe County where every individual has the opportunity to thrive — now and in the future.” “The Foundation is proud to be able to deploy our flexible funding at this time to enable these nonprofits to grow their endowments and strengthen their future impact with a permanent source of revenue that will benefit their organizations and Monroe County residents for years to come.”
The Community Foundation was established in 1990 to encourage and manage philanthropic support for the long-term benefit of the community and all those who call it home. Today, the Foundation has more than 270 funds – each defined by donors who provided the resources to create the funds. Distributions from these funds are returned to the community each year through charitable grants.
Some funds focus on specific nonprofit organizations, while others, such as the unrestricted and field of interest funds, are flexible and deliver powerful support that allows us to respond to our community in the most relevant and beneficial ways. The Community Foundation combines its deep understanding of the community and its compelling opportunities and pressing needs to deploy competitive grant rounds, proactive grants, education scholarships, and funding to support community leadership initiatives.
If you have questions about this opportunity, contact Program Director Marcus Whited at marcus@cfbmc.org or Development Director and COO Meagan Niese at meaganniese@cfbmc.org.
About Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County: Created by individuals, families, and businesses who share a passion for Monroe County and a vision for its future, the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County has granted $30 million to more than 400 local nonprofit organizations since its incorporation in 1990. With a $45 million endowment, the Foundation makes a difference by connecting caring people, important causes, and community resources.
