Endowment

When you create a charitable fund through the Story County Community
Foundation, you have the opportunity to benefit Story County communities
and organizations forever with a permanent endowment. Your gift is
invested over time. Earnings from your endowed fund are used to make
grants addressing community needs. Earnings from your current and future
gifts to the fund provide a permanent source of community capital, helping
do good work today and in the future.

Legacy and Stability — Donors who endow their funds make a difference
in Story County during their lifetime and, at the same time, provide a gift
that lasts forever. Grants continue to be made in the name of the fund you
establish so that your charitable wishes are preserved.

Expert help — When donors or nonprofit organizations work through the
SCCF to achieve their charitable goals, they benefit from the expertise of
experienced staff of the Greater Des Moines Foundation, knowledgeable
community leaders, and skilled investment managers.

Leaders of local nonprofit organizations also look to the SCCF to hold
their organizations’ endowments. They know having a constant source of
funding helps them in responding to emergency needs as well as planing
for the future and sustaining the good work they do.

The power of endowment—

A half century ago, Paul Cesarz made a choice that continues to
benefit his community today. He created an endowed fund in
1952 with $150,000 in assets. The fund immediately began
earning income and distributing grants to causes important to
him. Fifty years later and 35 years after Paul’s death, the Cesarz
Fund had grown to $1,066,003. And in that 50th year, it
generated more than $50,000 in grants, supporting a range of
community needs — a park renovation, a museum exhibit,
cancer research, and more. Because Paul chose to endow his
gift, he has enabled more than $1.1 million in grants to go to his
community — almost eight times the impact he would have
made by giving the original gift to charity all at once. And though
Paul has passed away, the fund in his name will go on
supporting his community, leaving a lasting legacy.