Wabash Valley Community Foundation's GIFT VIII opportunity through Lilly Endowment Inc.

Since 1992, the Wabash Valley Community Foundation has been responding to challenges. The Community Foundation originated, in part, to respond to Lilly Endowment Inc.’s challenge that if the local community through the Community Foundation would raise $2 million, it would contribute $1 million for a permanent endowment to benefit Vigo County.

We met that $1 million challenge after our founding and today the asset base has grown to over $90 million.

An endowment is a simple concept used to create a continual source of future income. Gifts contributed to an endowment are not spent; rather, the gifts are invested and the interest is distributed each year to support the charitable purpose for which the endowment was created. This way every endowment gift is preserved to provide income again next year and every year following.

Since its founding, the Wabash Valley Community Foundation has expanded to include the residents of Clay and Sullivan counties. These volunteers from each county distribute grants, recommend scholarships and raise funds within their county, effectively allowing donors to “give where they live.” Using county-specific volunteers to make grant funding decisions also provides local input on what is most important within a county.

In 2023, the Wabash Valley Community Foundation awarded $484,286 from its competitive grants in Clay, Sullivan and Vigo counties. Examples of some of the grants include the Community Theatre of Clay County, the Salvation Army of Sullivan County and the Pathways Day Center in Vigo County.

Now, Lilly Endowment has presented each of our three counties with an opportunity to increase the pool of resources to support local projects and programs within each county. Lilly Endowment is offering a $2-for-$1 match for all new gifts to build the permanent unrestricted endowments that will provide funding for the local community grants. To receive the full unrestricted match, the Community Foundation must raise $1,062,500 in Vigo County, $300,000 in Clay County and $262,500 in Sullivan County.

The Community Foundation has raised a total of $235,398 in Clay County, $53,015 in Sullivan County and $167,277 in Vigo County. The Community Foundation needs to raise $64,602 in Clay County; $209,485 in Sullivan County and $895,223 in Vigo County before the end of the matching period on December 31, 2025.

Whether your contribution is $10 to $100,000, it will be matched. Your gift now to the unrestricted endowment fund for your county will triple your impact! Now is the time to give where you live!

The Wabash Valley Community Foundation is a tax-exempt public charity created by and for the people in Clay, Sullivan and Vigo counties. The Community Foundation enables people with philanthropic interests to easily and effectively support the organizations and issues they care about – immediately or through their estate plans. Individuals, families, businesses and organizations may give to existing funds or establish a charitable fund at the Community Foundation by contributing a variety of assets. For more information on the Community Foundation, please contact 812.232.2234 or visit wvcf.org