Pike County Endowment Fund encourages participation in Double Down Challenge
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
The Pike County (IL) Endowment Fund with the Community Foundation has been offered the opportunity to grow its fund by up to $50,000 through a dollar-for-dollar matching donation challenge. Through the “Double Down for Pike County” effort, every gift made to the Pike County Endowment Fund by December 31, 2021 will be doubled by an anonymous donor.
The fund, established in 2008 by residents of Pike County, is a way to secure local assets to permanently support charitable needs and opportunities in Pike County. Since then, it has granted to more than a dozen local nonprofits with the help of contributions from more than 100 people, organizations, and businesses.
The “Double Down” matching challenge provides a way to increase this impact. Because the fund is endowed, gifts are invested for growth. Then, grants are made each year from a portion of the earnings – creating a steady, renewable source of charitable resources.
“The beauty of endowment is that there will always be dollars available when, where, and how they are needed,” said Kaye Iftner, Pike County Endowment Fund Council Chair. “If the challenges of the past year and a half have taught us anything, it’s that preparing for that which we cannot predict is critical. That’s exactly what the Pike County Endowment Fund does.”
“If you give to local causes today, you should consider giving to the Pike County Endowment Fund so that your gift will give back long into the future,” said Iftner. “It’s a way to ‘pay it forward’ and ensure that our communities will be cared for forever. Because we know needs and opportunities will change, these dollars allow us to remain nimble and provide support where and how it’s needed at the time.”
“When you make a gift to the Pike County Endowment Fund, it’s more than a gift. It’s an investment – especially when your donation is doubled through an opportunity like this,” said Catherine Bocke Meckes, Community Foundation CEO. “Over time, the amount that is granted out will far exceed the original gift amount and your gift will continue to grow and generate grants forever. That’s the power of endowment.”
The gifts need to be made to the Community Foundation, noting that they are for the Pike County Endowment Fund. The Community Foundation accepts a variety of gifts including cash, stocks, grain, livestock, IRA distributions, and other assets.
For more information about the match, contact Iftner at (201) 314-3624 or kiftner@gmail.com or the Community Foundation at (217) 222-1237, kmcfarland@mycommunityfoundation.org.
