July 2026
WHERE GIVING MEETS COMMUNITY
Insights on local generosity, nonprofit work, and the needs shaping our region.
By Harry Mathias, Community Giving Foundation regional board chair
I am currently serving my third year as chair of the Community Giving Foundation’s regional board. It is an incredible honor to serve in such a role for an organization dedicated to providing for the needs of the region I love. When I took this leadership role in January 2024, I wanted to apply metrics to measure the success of our Foundation. With roughly $70 million in assets at that time, the board set a goal of reaching $100 million and put in place sound practices and resources to make that happen.
Community Giving Foundation recently reached that milestone. People have asked me why goal setting—and that milestone in particular—was so important.
Reaching $100 million in assets creates value far beyond the headline number. In practical terms, it signals long-term strength, credibility, and the ability to serve our five-and-a-half county region at a much larger scale.
Here are several reasons why the Foundation’s $100 million asset milestone matters:
- Long-term community permanence: The Foundation is built to serve both current and future needs. “In perpetuity” is a term we often use to describe our philosophy. Reaching $100 million shows that the Foundation has become a durable institution with resources to support the region for generations.
- Greater annual grantmaking capacity: A larger asset base can generate more investment income and support more grants each year. For example, if the Foundation distributes 4.5% from its endowments annually—which it has, the past several years—$100 million could support $4-5 million in community grants each year, depending on policies and market performance.
- Stronger donor confidence: Asset size can increase credibility. Individuals, families, businesses, and estates can feel confident giving to a community foundation that has demonstrated sound stewardship, investment discipline, and community trust.
- Growing flexible response to local needs: Larger assets often mean more unrestricted or field of interest funds, which can help the Foundation respond to emerging challenges such as housing, food insecurity, disaster recovery, funding cuts, workforce development, and nonprofit sustainability.
- Increased leadership role: At $100 million, the Foundation can more easily expand its mission from just grantmaking to a community convener and strategic investor. Opportunities to connect nonprofits, government, schools, businesses, and donors together around shared priorities continue to grow.
- Supporting larger initiatives: Larger assets mean more flexibility and opportunities to grow multi-year grant initiatives, matching grant opportunities, capacity-building programs, scholarships, and regional transformation efforts.
- Economies of scale: As assets grow, the Foundation can operate more efficiently, allowing a greater share of every dollar to support the people, programs, and priorities that strengthen our communities.
- Stronger nonprofit ecosystem: The Foundation can further help local nonprofits not only through grant funding, but also through endowment building, training, technical assistance, collaborations, and emergency support.
- The impact of collective giving: This milestone itself can tell a powerful story—the community has invested in its own future. These assets are made possible through the generosity of local donors committed to the individual communities and counties across our region. This story can inspire additional legacy gifts, charitable funds, and corporate philanthropy.
- Intergenerational impact: Perhaps most importantly, $100 million represents a permanent charitable resource owned by and for the community. We can help ensure that local generosity continues to benefit local people long after individual donors are gone.
Attaining $100 million in assets means the Community Giving Foundation has the scale, credibility, and permanence to become an institution for the region’s charitable giving, driving community impact today, tomorrow, and forever. We continue to strive for higher goals and better work to help the people of our region for generations to come.
