A Message from Karl Murch, Chair of the Board of Trustees Our community is stronger because of you. Thank you! 2020 has been a challenging year for us all. Even so, ECCF has many reasons for hope. We’ve been inspired by the tireless and innovative work of local nonprofits, and we’ve been moved by the incredible generosity of the donors who support them. That generosity has allowed our original “Quick Response” grant cycle, implemented to address urgent pandemic-related needs, to extend through two more phases of grants, now called “Response and Recovery.” These three phases will collectively distribute more than half a million dollars in much-needed aid. Gifts, large and small, make an important difference! Thanks to you, ECCF has issued more than $1.6 million in grants so far in 2020, bringing our grant total since inception to over $16.1 million. This achievement would not be possible without the many donors whose gifts supported these grants. We are proud to announce that total assets at ECCF have reached over $30 million as of July 31, 2020. Autumn Social Announcements Even though the Autumn Social Event was not held this year, this newsletter celebrates the grants recommended by the Trustees whose terms have ended, Leadership Award recipient Karen Hebert, and the impact of the Response and Recovery Community Fund. We look forward to again having the Autumn Social in 2021. Imagine what else we can accomplish with your help! The Board of Trustees recently approved two designated fund agreements, the Roger and Betty Davis Fund and the Dean J. Arnold Endowment Fund. These donors utilized their IRA’s to benefit our community forever by supporting their favorite organizations. If you are 70 ½ years or older and haven’t used your IRA disbursement, this is a great time to consider using your IRA to make a charitable gift. You can designate it for our Community Fund to address our area’s greatest needs, start your own Fund, and/or become a member of ECCF’s Legacy Society. Whatever you choose, we can assist you with the process. Please call us with your gifting instructions before December 15, 2020. Thank you for your generous and continued support!
With gratitude, Karl Murch, Board of Trustees Chair
The Eau Claire Community Foundation helps you support charities you care about. You can donate to its existing Funds or create your own, either now or through your estate. ECCF invests the money, and the earnings support grants to nonprofits. Your gift will benefit our community forever.
Leadership Award Karen Hebert
ECCF’s annual Leadership Award recognizes volunteers who have made outstanding contributions to our Foundation. ECCF is proud to present the 2020 Leadership Award to Karen Hebert. She served on our Board of Trustees for six years, on our Personnel Committee for nine years (including seven as Chair), and on our Grants Committee for four years (including three as Co-Chair). Karen and her husband Dick are also ECCF Legacy Society members. Karen also contributed immensely as ECCF responded to the urgent needs created by the pandemic. In her role as Interim Executive Director of United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley, she worked closely with ECCF on the grant review process to ensure that our organizations’ grants would combine to be the most effective at addressing Chippewa Valley needs. We’re incredibly grateful to Karen for her tireless work on behalf of ECCF and the community. Thank you, Karen, and congratulations on such a well-deserved award!
Response & Recovery Community Fund ECCF has launched the third phase of its collaboration with United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley (UWGCV) to offer grants that help local nonprofits address urgent community needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although UWGCV administered its own grant cycles, it worked with ECCF during the review process to maximize the effectiveness of each organization’s grant awards. Our collective impact on the Chippewa Valley has already exceeded $850,000! Originally called “Quick Response,” these grant cycles were renamed “Response and Recovery” in Phase II. As we move into Phase III, we will continue to address urgent basic needs like food and shelter while also supporting nonprofits in their efforts to adapt to pandemic conditions. Applications are being accepted until September 15, and grant awards will be announced in late September. By the end of Phase III, “Response and Recovery” granting from ECCF and UWGCV, along with a complementary grant cycle hosted by the Community Foundation of Chippewa County, will have distributed more than a million dollars to meet urgent Chippewa Valley needs!
$588,917 Donated
$475,191 Granted
43
Non-profits
None of this would be possible without generous donor support, including an incredible $100,000 gift from C&M Companies. Pablo Foundation, Pesi, Inc., Charter Bank, Market & Johnson, Royal Credit Union, Lamar Advertising, and BMO Harris Bank also supported the grant cycles with major gifts. Thanks to donors like you, we can help our community overcome any obstacle!
Photo courtesy of Jeff Thompson Photography
Response & Recovery Community Fund
Grantee Spotlight Western Dairyland, Rental Assistance Thousands of Wisconsin households, including many of our neighbors in Eau Claire, are struggling with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Job loss has stretched budgets, and families are making difficult choices. Even so, many are falling behind on rent. Working with funds from federal, state, and local sources, Western Dairyland Economic Opportunity Council is providing rental assistance in Eau Claire, Buffalo, Trempealeau and Jackson counties. In the past two months, we have provided rental assistance to more than 250 households in our service area. Funding from the Eau Claire Community Foundation is providing an added layer of support for families who are struggling to stay in their homes.
Trustees
Thousand Dollar Grants
ECCF could not do its work without the time, talent and expertise of its Board of Trustees. Every year, we acknowledge the extraordinary contributions of departing Board members by allowing them to make $1000 grants to nonprofits of their choice. Although the awards are normally announced at ECCF’s Autumn Social, circumstances caused by the pandemic prevent us from doing so this year. Even so, we’d like to thank the following Board members for their invaluable service and congratulate their grantees. Laurie Klinkhammer, Acres for Joy Chris Hasenberg, Draper Hills Financial Literacy Fund Sherry Mohr, Sculpture Tour Eau Claire
Grant Spotlight
Acres for Joy
Acres for Joy is a non-profit organization serving youth in the Chippewa Valley, primarily youth in need. Our Ranch and Equine Assisted Learning program partners with horses and caring individuals to encourage, engage, and empower. All of our efforts are toward the furtherance of growth and accomplishment for kids, and often kids with extra challenges. We find that horses and goats are rich in contribution toward that end, but so is gardening, landscaping, woodworking, fence building, and raising chickens. We are so grateful for the $1,000 donation which will be used by our equine specialist, Melissa, for further certification allowing for expansion of our youth programing.
Pictured: Jeff Jackson, Aryanna Sabourin, Laurie Klinkhammer Acres for Joy: E3130 County Road HH Eleva, WI 54738 acresforjoy.com
JOIN OUR ONLINE GATHERING!
To learn more and rsvp: www.eccfwi.org
Bringing Together Our Community
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
15th Annual
Racial Justice & Equality
October 13th at 6:00 pm
PROFESSIONAL ADVISOR EVENT
RSVP: www.eccfwi.org (Events Tab)
Becky Schwinefus, Realtor at ReMax Royal Credit Union Peoples Bank Midwest Anonymous Donor
Thursday, October 22 | 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. Event will be hosted live (tentative) and virtual Eau Claire Golf and Country Club Topic:
Speaker:
2020 - Philanthropic Updates and Trends
Alex Bakkum, Senior Vice President Director, The Center for Family Philanthropy US Bank Wealth Managment
NEW FACE AT THE FOUNDATION! Rebekah Bendorf is the new Graphic Design Intern, taking the place of Jeremy Lamb for the upcoming year. She is a student at UW-Eau Claire with a Graphic Communications major. Besides being a Graphic Designer, Bekah enjoys running, hiking, reading, and day-dreaming about traveling! She looks forward to her new role and learning more about the Foundation!
306 S. Barstow St. Suite 104, Eau Claire, WI 54701
BOARD OF TRUSTEES (2020-2021) Karl Murch, Chair Linda Danielson, Vice Chair Dale Wood, Treasurer John Satre, Secretary Kim Bodeau Greg Bremer Amelia Daniels Cindy Hangartner Philip Happe M.D. Jeff Kowieski Tom Larson Tim Pabich Jackie Rasmussen Sarah Stokes R. Thomas Toy Laura Talley, Past Chair
NEW TAX BENEFITS FOR DONORS
SNAPSHOT:
JAN 1 - JULY 31, 2020
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS:
$3,237,874
On March 27, the CARES Act was signed into law for the year 2020. The Act provides increased tax incentives for charitable giving for both individuals and corporations. Here are some key points:
TOTAL ASSETS:
Allows individuals an “above-theline” deduction up to $300 for charitable gifts.
TOTAL AWARDED GRANTS:
Individual donors can deduct up to 100% of modified AGI for cash contributions (increased from 60%).
$30,767,786 $1,326,525 228 Grants 7 4
NEW FUNDS NEW LEGACY SOCIETY MEMBERS 306 S. Barstow St. Suite 104, Eau Claire, WI 54701
Corporations can deduct up to 25% of modified taxable income for cash contributions (increased from 10%). Disclaimer: ECCF encourages donors to consult with their legal or tax advisors to determine charitable giving strategies that are best for them.
715.552.3801
www.eccfwi.org