Morris and Grundy County have always been a generous community. If there is a person, family, or agency in need, our residents open their hearts and their wallets to help. However, we’ve not always been philanthropic, and there is a difference.
The difference between generosity and philanthropy is meeting the immediate need versus looking to the future and planning for the impact on the community. It’s like the difference between a checking account and a savings account – one serves today; the other serves tomorrow.
The goal of the Morris Community Foundation is simple: to generate resources from within our community to affect change – now and into the future.
Our approach is two-fold: 1) raise funds to meet immediate needs and 2) build new, permanent endowments which our community has never had before – endowments that, over time, promise to grow exponentially. An endowment is simply a permanent capital fund that is invested, generating a stream of income that can be used for charitable causes.
The Morris Community Foundation has several endowment funds to serve different needs in the community. Or, anyone can start their own endowment fund for their choice of charitable purposes. Housed at the Foundation, we will invest it and grow it so that there’s more to give away to support the causes that will make an impact in our community.
If a fund is built as an endowment, it represents a generational project that will leave permanent capacity for reinvesting in the community. As one local leader said, “When my granddaughter is old enough to sit at the table, the assets I contributed will still be here in Grundy County. They’re permanent and they belong to the community.”
As an institution that harnesses individual assets, the Community Foundation is positioned to change the landscape of philanthropy in our community. Just like the passionate individuals who serve as spark plugs, the Foundation can be an effective change-maker, mobilizing resources and encouraging community-based philanthropy in innovative ways.
If you want to help build financial resources for the future of our community, talk to your accountant or attorney….or simply call the Morris Community Foundation at 941-0852. You can also write to us at [email protected] or at 105 E. Main, #202, Morris, IL 60450.