Become a Donor

You have the "why", we have the "how". Since late 1997, your Community Foundation has connected people who care with causes that matter in our region and beyond. Together, we’ve created meaningful change by investing in the projects, programs, and organizations that make a difference – right here, right now, and for generations to come.


Whether your charitable vision includes giving today or planning a legacy, we’re here to help you decide the best way to make it a reality, so you can focus on the joy of giving back.

Donate Now

Gift Ideas

  • Establish a Fund: Establishing a fund today allows you to see how it works, the grants it makes, and grow its impact. Whether you wish to support one organization’s mission or have many causes close to your heart, we can help build a fund that serves your charitable goals. 
  • Plan a Gift: A planned gift is a way to ensure permanent support for the causes or organizations that matter to you. Donors can rest assured that their gift’s original intent will be honored in perpetuity, leaving a legacy of caring for community.
  • Grow a Fund: Anyone can give any amount at any time to any fund at the Community Foundation. By combining your resources with those of others who share your interests, you can maximize the impact of modest contributions.
  • Honor Friends & Family: Honor a friend, memorialize a loved one, or celebrate a special occasion by giving a gift of any size to any fund. We’ll notify the honoree or family of your thoughtfulness and the organization whose fund has benefitted from your gift.
  • Support Our Work: We are grateful for gifts specifically designated to support our work and enhance our impact as a nonprofit organization.

Give Online or By Mail

Give a one-time or recurring gift through the Foundation's donation portal with your credit or debit card. Please note - 2.2% +$0.30 of your donation will be deducted as a service charge. 


Mail your gift to:


Community Foundation Serving 

West Central Illinois & Northeast Missouri

621 Vermont Street

Quincy, IL 62301


Please make checks payable to “Community Foundation” and specify a fund or purpose in the “memo” section of your check.


Donate to a Fund

Other Ways to Give

  • Donate securities and other appreciated assets.
  • Name the Community Foundation as a beneficiary of your estate or trust.
  • Use your Individual Retirement Account to make a Qualified Charitable Distribution.
  • Designate the Community Foundation as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy.
  • Share a gift of grain or farmland.


Policies and laws governing charitable gifts are subject to change. Examine carefully the policies that apply when you create a fund. The Community Foundation is not in the business of rendering legal, accounting or financial advice. Always discuss your plans with your attorney, accountant, or financial advisor.


Contact Us

Book of Opportunities

Each year, the Community Foundation accepts requests for funding from nonprofit organizations in its service area through the competitive grant program. These requests are summarized in the Book of Opportunities, available for download below. 


We encourage you to browse this tool and consider a grant or a gift to help any of these meaningful projects and organizations.




2025 Book of Opportunities Donor Advised Fund Grant Recommendations

The opportunity of a lifetime to give the gift of a lifetime.

Giving with your IRA

If you are age 70 1/2 and older, you can use your individual retirement account (IRA) to support your charitable giving through the Community Foundation. This simple, tax-wise giving tool provides a way for you to take your required minimum distribution, save on taxes, and make meaningful gifts to support the causes you care about.

IRS rules require adults who are 73 years or older to take minimum distributions (RMDs) each year from their tax deferred retirement accounts. Although withdrawals for personal spending are subject to income tax, qualified charitable distributions are not. Individuals can direct up to $100,000 per year from their IRA to a qualified charity, including the Community Foundation.*


This popular gift option is commonly called the IRA charitable rollover, but it’s also referred to as a qualified charitable distribution, or QCD for short. The SECURE Act preserved the ability to make a QCD at the age of 70 ½ even though the RMD requirement was increased to age 73. Of course, donors should seek the advice of their financial advisors.


To learn more, view our IRA Charitable Giving Handout.

*QCDs cannot be directed to a Donor Advised Fund.

Alton Vannice
Now in their 80s, Ken and Julia have accumulated wealth in their IRAs. At this age, they must receive distributions. Their estate planning attorney recognized an opportunity. By transferring $100,000  
from each of their IRAs to the Community Foundation, they could establish a Designated Fund to support the museum without paying tax and do so during their lifetimes. 

“We were so happy to find out that we could give a portion of our IRAs to the Community Foundation without losing anything to taxes,” says Julia. “Plus, because we can do so right now, the museum doesn’t have to wait until we’re gone to get a steady stream of income from our fund.” 

IRA Giving Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why might donors give IRA assets to their Community Foundation?

    After decades of deliberate saving, some of today’s retirees have more money in their IRAs than they need for daily living expenses and long-term care. For larger estates, a good portion of IRA wealth goes to estate taxes and income taxes of non-spousal beneficiaries; heirs may receive less than 50 percent of IRA assets passed on to them through estates. Instead, IRA holders may choose to leave their IRAs to qualified charitable organizations such as the Community Foundation —choosing charity over taxes.

  • To what charities can an IRA charitable rollover be made to?

    IRA charitable rollovers must be made directly to a 501(c)(3) organization such as the Community Foundation. However, QCDs cannot be directed to a Donor Advised Fund.

  • Are there any IRA transfers to the Community Foundation that DO NOT qualify for preferred tax treatment?

    Yes. Transfers to supporting organizations and donor advised funds do not qualify. Also, IRA charitable rollover transfers cannot be made to charitable annuities, charitable lead trusts and charitable remainder trusts. Because such transfers do not count as qualified distributions under these special rules, the donor will have to first recognize those distributions as income. The donor’s charitable deduction must then be calculated as a regular itemized deduction.

  • How can an IRA gift be made?

    Typically, IRAs are held by a financial service or trust company. Please contact your IRA administrator directly to initiate the transfer to the Community Foundation.

  • Is a donor limited to one IRA charitable distribution per year, or can a donor request multiple transfers?

    Donors aged 70 ½ or older are limited to a maximum of $100,000 in any one year as an IRA charitable distribution, however there is no requirement that the entire amount be made in one transfer or that the entire amount go to a single qualified charitable organization. Donors can request multiple direct transfers from their IRA to qualified charities in a year, but only $100,000 will be excluded from income as an IRA qualified charitable distribution.

  • What can I achieve with an IRA gift to the Community Foundation?

    Your IRA gift can be leveraged in multiple ways. First, you can give to an existing fund. We hold more than 230 funds for specific nonprofit organizations, for certain communities, and for a wide range of needs and opportunities.


    You can also establish your own named fund for a cause that matters most to you. 


    Please contact us to discuss how we can best meet your own unique charitable goals.

Power of Endowment


With a permanently endowed fund, good will continue to grow for generations. Use our endowment calculator to see what's possible with your initial gift.

Calculate
Term Market Value Earnings Admin Fees Annual Grants Ending Balance Accumulative Grants Total
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25 yr.
IMPORTANT: The results provided by the Endowment Calculator are intended for illustrative purposes only and are not guaranteed. The illustration should not be relied upon nor deemed as endowment fund advice. The investment projections, outcomes, and other information generated by the Endowment Calculator are hypothetical in nature, are based on Community Foundation investment goals and policies, and do not reflect actual investment results. Results may vary with each use and over time, and past results are not guarantees of future results. Projections are based on average returns, fees, and distributions. Administrative fees vary by fund. No market value averaging formula is being used. This tool uses a three-year average balance to compute the amounts distributed from endowed funds.