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Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque Endowment Funds Pay Out More Than $3M to Nonprofits

The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque recently authorized $3,041,990 in endowment payouts for fiscal year 2019, up from $2,741,550 last year.

Community foundations are charitable organizations that use philanthropy to create systemic change, benefitting their communities and improving the lives of people in their geographic region. Nonprofit organizations and community members can create endowment funds at the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque to benefit charitable causes. These funds are invested and pay out annually to the designated nonprofits, providing a reliable source of income to sustain organizations’ operations forever.

Endowment payouts also support grantmaking at the Community Foundation. This year, the foundation will grant $84,231 through four grant programs:

  • Community Impact, which improves policies and practices affecting the Greater Dubuque community and aims to make the greatest possible impact.
  • Women’s Giving Circle, which supports local nonprofits serving women and children in our community.
  • YAPPERS (Youth Area Philanthropists), which aims to provide Dubuque County youth-serving agencies with the opportunity to strengthen and grow their programs.
  • Grants for Tech, which supports the technical capacity of nonprofits.

Nonprofits and community members have established 794 endowment funds through the Community Foundation and its rural affiliate foundations in Allamakee, Delaware, Clayton, Clinton, Jackson and Jones Counties and the Dyersville community.

“Endowments help to diversify nonprofits’ funding and make their operations secure so they can continue to strengthen our community forever,” said Nancy Van Milligen, foundation president and CEO. “Each fund is unique and the payouts fund everything from special projects to facility repairs and general operations.”

As one of the largest annual grantmakers in the greater Dubuque region, the Community Foundation has made a total of $42.8 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, including $7.6 million last year alone. The foundation is also a community leadership organization, bringing people and institutions together to create long-term solutions to community challenges through initiatives like Project HOPE (workforce and unemployment), Community Heart & Soul® (rural development), the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (youth) and Inclusive Dubuque (equity and diversity).

"At just 16 years old, CFGD is a relatively young foundation, but thanks to the support of community members throughout our region and the dedication of strong local nonprofits, its ability to create positive impact in our region continues to grow,” says Chad Chandlee, chair of the Community Foundation’s board of directors. “Every day, the foundation is working to learn more about the needs of our community so we can help people give with meaning and impact.”