Love Where You Live Kalamazoo Community Foundation
Love where you live Since 1925 the Kalamazoo Community Foundation has supported hundreds of organizations and thousands of people from communities throughout Kalamazoo County. But our community still has needs. We believe, by working together, we can make Kalamazoo County a community where every person can reach full potential. A community where we all love to live.
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Our work We envision a community where every person can reach full potential. A community where we all love to live. We offer a variety of ways for you to help us make that vision a reality. You can choose to give to an existing fund or establish a fund of your own; you can do either during your lifetime or through your estate plan. Gifts given to the Community Foundation become part of a permanent endowment, which means they’ll benefit Kalamazoo County forever. We invest your gifts so they grow and maximize the resources available to address community needs now and in the future. We support Kalamazoo County nonprofits addressing immediate community needs, as well as those collaborating with others to create long-term, transformative change. We have a unique team approach to grantmaking. It enables us to leverage the collective knowledge and experience of our team to make our community investments as effective as possible. Every grantseeker enters the process on equal footing — regardless of their history (or lack of history) with us. Leading through collaboration and partnerships makes it possible for us to achieve more than if we work in isolation.
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Your giving Every day you make choices about how you use your money. We are here to help you think about the choices you make related to your charitable giving and take it to the next level — to make your philanthropy personal, meaningful and fulfilling. No matter how much you give, your personal giving strategy will be most meaningful when it aligns with your values, experiences, interests and desire to make Kalamazoo County a community where every person can reach full potential. Give Now You can support our community now with an outright gift of: • Cash • Securities (stock, bonds and most mutual funds) • Real estate • Life insurance Give Later You can give through your estate plan by designating us as the beneficiary of: • A bequest • Your retirement plan • A life insurance policy Giving through your estate plan enables you to maintain control of your assets during your lifetime, support our community and possibly give more than you ever thought you could.
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Maximize your impact You can maximize the impact your giving makes on our community by giving an unrestricted gift. This kind of gift ensures there are resources on hand to address immediate community needs and support efforts to create long-term, transformative change. These gifts also ensure there will be resources to address future needs we can’t even imagine today. Establish an Unrestricted Fund When you establish an Unrestricted Fund, you set no restrictions on the use of your gift. This empowers and enables us to do what we do best: leverage our knowledge and expertise to ensure the Community Foundation’s resources make the greatest impact possible. Give to a Love Where You Live Fund As an alternative to creating an Unrestricted Fund of your own, you can give to one or more of our Love Where You Live Funds. The Love Where You Live Fund addresses the community’s greatest needs. If you’re interested in specific areas of need, our focused Love Where You Live Funds are right for you. • Love Where You Live Fund (greatest needs) • Economic and Community Development Fund • Education and Learning Fund • Environment Fund • Health Fund • Housing Fund • Individuals and Families Fund • Youth Development Fund • Partners in Education Scholarship Fund
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More options The Community Foundation has hundreds of funds established by individuals, families, businesses and organizations. Some have very specific purposes. Others are used to support broader fields of interest. You can give to any of these funds or establish a new one. Whichever option you choose, your gift will help make Kalamazoo County a community where every person can reach full potential — a community where we all love to live. Fund Types Advised Fund When you establish an Advised Fund, you choose which community needs the fund supports. These funds are convenient and flexible because you don’t have to choose one area of focus. Designated Fund Designated Funds are established for the benefit of the nonprofit, educational or religious organization of your choice. These funds provide support now and enhance the resources available to the nonprofit in the future. Field-of-Interest Fund When you establish a Field-of-Interest Fund, you focus your giving on the community need you care about most. Your gift remains flexible to address needs in your interest area, even as they change over time. Scholarship Fund Scholarship Funds can support undergraduate and graduate education, professional development and other educational opportunities. Our Scholarship team will help you determine the criteria students must meet to receive the scholarship you establish.
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What you can expect Here’s what you can expect from us when you make a gift. Stability We have been helping our donors show their love for our community since 1925 and we will continue to do so forever. Knowledge We have an unparalleled base of knowledge built through nearly a century of community involvement. We use this knowledge to ensure your gift is used the way you want it to be used, and that the issues, causes and community you care about are supported. Leadership We lead through collaboration and partnerships. This enables us to better leverage resources and achieve more than if we work in isolation. Impact We give grants to Kalamazoo County nonprofits addressing immediate community needs, as well as those collaborating with others to create long-term, transformative change. Whether you have a crystal clear concept of what you hope to accomplish with your gift, or only an idea that is just beginning to take shape, we can help. It only takes a simple phone call or email to set up a time to talk with a member of our Donor Relations team. We are happy to welcome you to our office in downtown Kalamazoo or meet you somewhere that is convenient and comfortable for you. To get in touch with our Donor Relations team, you can: Call 269.381.4416 Email donorrelations@kalfound.org Visit www.kalfound.org/ourteam
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Our Mission To make life better for all through leadership and stewardship of resources that last forever. Our Vision A community where every person can reach full potential. Our Core Values • Excellence • Integrity • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Kalamazoo Community Foundation 402 East Michigan Avenue Kalamazoo, MI 49007-3888 269.381.4416 www.kalfound.org
Photography Terry Johnston | Terry Johnston Photography