Bettendorf, Iowa – The Community Foundation of the Great River Bend is pleased to announce it now administers 100 organization endowment funds, providing a secure source of support for local agencies in perpetuity. More than $3.2 million in permanent endowment is overseen by the Community Foundation to benefit these organizations.

“The Café on Vine Endowment is our 100th organization fund,” said Susan Skora, Community Foundation president and CEO. “These organizations partner with the Foundation to grow and manage their endowments. Like the Café, the endowment partners are building permanent and persistent community capital that will secure their future.”

The Café on Vine Endowment will provide meals to the less fortunate, and Pete and Mary Pohlmann were the first contributors to this fund. Their generous gift adds to the strength and stability of the Café, which is overseen by Thomas Merton House. The fund welcomes gifts from people who share the Pohlmann’s desire to give back to the community.

In 2007, the Community Foundation issued a $150,000 challenge matching program to motivate local agencies to prepare for their future. From this program, 21 new organization endowments were created and more than $550,000 was added to funds at the Foundation. Tom Fedje, Edgerton Women’s Health Center president said the Foundation’s creative approach to building endowment really ‘fired up our organization.’

Organization endowments provide many benefits that include:

• a secure annual grant of support.
• new giving opportunities for interested donors by offering gift annuities, real estate gifts, charitable remainders trusts and other complex forms of gift arrangements.
• improved investment opportunities and lower investment costs.
• access to the Community Foundation’s staff expertise.

All gifts made to any one of the Community Foundation’s 100 organization funds are tax deductible to the full extent of both federal and state law. In addition, Iowa residents may qualify for the Endow Iowa 20% income tax credit program. Endow Iowa is only available to Iowa taxpayers and gifts must be made for the benefit of Iowa charities. Similar legislation is pending in Illinois.

To learn more about the benefits the Community Foundation can provide, call 563-326-2840.