Community Foundations
Westerners owe the word “philanthropy” to the Greeks, who, since the fifth century BC elaborated on the idea. Etymologically, “philanthropy” means “the love of humanity”. It was coined 2,500 years ago by its use in the myth Prometheus Bound.
Benjamin Franklin, the inventor and statesman of the colonial era, was an early philanthropist. He founded local civic organizations such as the volunteer fire company and institutions such as the Pennsylvania hospital, the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia public library.
There are over 700 community foundations in the United States Today.
Engage with and support our community
What is a Community Foundation?
Learn more about how the National Council of Nonprofits advocates for America’s charitable nonprofits.
Check out the Community Foundations locator from the Council on Foundations. Find community foundations in your area by clicking on the map. You can view a map of all accredited community foundations on the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations™ website.
Ways to give back
During this Novel Coronavirus Pandemic, over 700 AmeriCorps members supported by Serve Indiana rolled up their sleeves everyday to serve Hoosiers across the state in the areas of Education, Economic Opportunity, Environmental Stewardship, Capacity Building, and Healthy Futures. With an investment of roughly $3 million in AmeriCorps funding, Serve Indiana partnered with 15 nonprofit organizations and governmental entities and leveraged over $12 million in local resources to help Hoosiers meet local challenges using their own community assets.
Want to see this in a list format just for Indiana? Check out the Community Foundations list from the Independent College of Indiana.
Find a location Philanthropy Organization at Indiana Philanthropy Alliance
For members of the Indiana Community Foundation Contact List, log-in to see the contact information for these organizations
Support a healthy work culture
Lilly Endowment which gave out $33M to community foundations in Indiana in 2020 . For more details check out this article.
Visit the Lilly Endowment Inc. to learn more.
Apply for a grant with the Community Foundation Alliance!
Check out their Facebook page to stay-up-to-date!
Success Stories
Indiana Department of Workforce Development