OCTOBER
Completing the Match Leads to Major Grantmaking When Lilly Endowment Inc. announced the GIFT VII matching grant, a $2 to $1 match on unrestricted gifts up to $1 million, donors like Gordon and Pam Cox quickly made pledges to help The Community Foundation capture the match and increase community grantmaking. 22
The Community Foundation was able to offer a $2 to $1 match to unrestricted gifts beginning in 2018, thanks to a grant opportunity from Lilly Endowment Inc. GIFT VII would provide up to $1 million in funds to match donations and pledges from donors who chose to give unrestricted gifts. When Gordon and Pam Cox heard about the opportunity to triple their contribution, they pledged a gift to the Gordon and Pam Cox Fund, a named unrestricted fund at The Community Foundation. Their pledge over three years (2018, 2019, and 2020) was one of GIFT VII’s first donor commitments. And when the Coxes made their final pledge payment at the end of the year, they helped the Foundation secure the last of the matching dollars. Lilly Endowment launched the Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) program in 1990 to expand Indiana’s network of community foundations. Since the first GIFT program, The Community Foundation has captured matching funds to support unrestricted fundraising. These unrestricted funds support the
