Nov 18 2009
Celebrate charitable giving in Iowa during Community Foundation Week
Community Foundation of Johnson County is helping our community. For Good . . . For Ever.
IOWA CITY – Community Foundation of Johnson County (CFJC) will join more than 130 community foundations/affiliate community foundations across Iowa in celebrating charitable giving during Community Foundation Week, November 12-18, 2009. Iowa Community Foundations are nonprofit organizations established to meet the current and future needs in communities including those related to arts/culture, education, health, human services, environmental protection, community development and more. Community Foundations across Iowa share many of the same features and all share the same goal- to build permanent endowments for Iowa charitable causes.
Locally, the Community Foundation supports an array of needs including arts and culture, community development, ecumenical concerns, education, the environment, health and human services, and youth. Since founding in 2000, CFJC has raised $5.4 million in assets, and distributed more than $2.6 million to charitable projects throughout Johnson County. Last year, the Community Foundation granted $643,050 to meet local needs.
Casey Cook, 2010 president of CFJC and president of Cook Appraisals, said community foundations are at the heart of our cities and towns. “We know the places of need in our area, and we can direct resources to create solutions. And in Iowa, giving through a local community foundation is rewarding - in more ways than one! The Endow Iowa Tax Credit Program provides a unique investment tax credit up to a 25 percent in addition to the normal tax deductions for charitable giving which is a great incentive for Iowa taxpayers to invest in permanent community endowments at qualified community foundations.”
ICoF Director Angela Dethlefs-Trettin said Iowa’s community foundation infrastructure supports and enables important change in our communities, and builds endowments through the generous support of a variety of donors with a variety of means. “Through programs such as the Endow Iowa Tax Credit Program and the County Endowment Fund Program, we continue to build upon a spirit of philanthropy that ultimately benefits charitable projects and programs essential to the well-being of our Iowa communities. Iowa community foundations ensure that resources are available - for good and forever. It takes local community partners to make that vision a reality.”
Created by the Iowa Legislature in 2003, Endow Iowa is an effective investment in Iowa’s future. For every $1 of tax credit the state offers, community foundations leverage $5 to support efforts that enhance the quality of life in communities across Iowa.
To learn more about Iowa Community Foundations, the County Endowment Fund Program and the Endow Iowa Tax Credit Program, visit www.IowaCommunityFoundations.org. For more information on Community Foundation of Johnson County, please call 319.337.0483 or visit www.communityfoundationofjohnsoncounty.org.
Community Foundation Week began in 1989 with a proclamation from former president George H.W. Bush and a congressional briefing about community foundation activities. The observance has made donors seeking to maximize their philanthropic dollars aware of community foundations’ charitable activities and services.
