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At the Community Foundation of Southwest Indiana, we often talk about the power of endowment. Every endowed fund tells a story. A family honoring a loved one. A donor investing in opportunity. A business giving back to the community that helped it grow. These gifts create lasting annual support for the causes donors care about most, not just today, but for generations to come. For many of our fundholders, that legacy has already begun. Over time, many donors choose to build on that impact by including the Community Foundation in their estate plans. For families and individuals who care deeply about Southwest Indiana, planned giving often becomes a meaningful extension of the charitable legacy they have already created. Now, the Community Foundation is proud to launch our new Legacy Society, recognizing individuals and families who have chosen to make that lasting commitment through a planned gift. Introducing the Legacy Society The Legacy Society honors donors who are making a long-term investment in the future of Southwest Indiana through their estate planning. These gifts help ensure that charitable support continues for generations, strengthening the communities, organizations, and causes donors care about most. Whether a donor’s passion is education, health, economic mobility, community development, the arts, or another charitable purpose, a legacy gift creates enduring impact beyond a lifetime. More and more donors are choosing legacy gifts to ensure the values that shaped their lives continue to make a difference far into the future. What Is a Legacy Gift? A legacy gift is a charitable gift made through your estate plan. This may include: A provision in a will or trust A beneficiary designation on a retirement account A beneficiary designation on a life insurance policy Another formal estate gift arrangement Many planned gifts are simple to establish and can often be completed by updating existing estate documents or beneficiary forms. Building on the Legacy You’ve Already Created For donors who already hold an endowed fund at the Community Foundation, planned giving is often a natural next step. An endowed fund provides annual impact today. Including that fund in your estate plans helps ensure that impact continues to grow far into the future. Many fundholders choose to strengthen their endowed funds through a future estate gift, increasing the long-term resources available each year for the causes and community needs they care about most. Over time, these additional resources can expand annual grantmaking, respond to emerging community needs, and continue a donor’s charitable vision for generations. Recently, we have been honored to share stories from individuals and families who have made this kind of commitment. While every story is unique, they share a common belief: that the values and causes that shaped their lives should continue strengthening Southwest Indiana for generations to come. We Can Work with Your Professional Advisors The Community Foundation works closely with donors and their trusted advisors to make the process simple, flexible, and aligned with personal financial goals. Our team can collaborate directly with attorneys, accountants, financial advisors, and trust officers to help structure charitable plans that reflect each donor’s wishes and long-term vision for community impact. Become a Founding Charter Member As part of the launch of the Legacy Society, we are inviting individuals who have already included the Community Foundation in their estate plans, as well as those who formally document a planned gift during our inaugural charter period, to become Charter Members of the founding class. This founding group represents the first generation of donors helping establish a lasting tradition of legacy philanthropy across Southwest Indiana. Together, Charter Members will help shape the future of the Legacy Society while ensuring charitable impact continues for generations to come. Charter Members will receive: Recognition as inaugural founding members Legacy Society lapel pin Optional recognition in Foundation Impact Reports Invitations to Legacy Society gatherings and impact briefings Updates highlighting how endowed legacy gifts are strengthening our region  The Charter Member period will remain open through June 30, 2027. Creating a Legacy That Lasts While the official name of the Legacy Society is still being finalized, its purpose is already clear: honoring individuals and families whose generosity will continue shaping Southwest Indiana long after their lifetimes. If you would like to learn more about planned giving opportunities or including the Community Foundation in your estate plans, our team would be honored to help you explore options that align with your charitable goals, values, and long-term vision for community impact.

As the Community Foundation celebrates 35 years of serving our region, we are taking an important step forward to strengthen how we invest in our communities for the future. In FY27 (July 2026 through June 2027), the Foundation will conduct a comprehensive review of our unrestricted grantmaking approach, priorities, and processes to help ensure our community investments are deployed for the greatest possible impact. As part of this FY27 review year, the Foundation will not hold an open competitive application cycle for the Community Good Grants program. What to Expect in FY27 Even during this review year, the Foundation will continue making grants. Rather than offering an open Community Good Grants application process, we will use a more focused review process that considers historical grantmaking, community impact, and current community needs. In many cases, this will mean continued investment in organizations with an established history of partnership and impact through the Community Foundation. Most FY27 Community Good Grant support will be awarded as unrestricted operating support, providing flexible dollars that strengthen organizations where they need it most. Important Note This change applies only to our competitive unrestricted grantmaking program (Community Good Grants). Grantmaking through our donor-advised, designated funds, agency funds, and scholarship funds will continue as usual. Looking Ahead This year of review will help guide our future grantmaking strategy and ensure we are responsive to evolving community needs. The Foundation expects to launch a redesigned grant process in FY28 (July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2028), and we will share details well in advance. Learn More and Ask Questions To help nonprofit partners understand the FY27 process and ask questions, our Program team will host virtual information sessions: Thursday, May 7, 2026 | 11:00 a.m. CST - Perry & Spencer Tuesday, May 12, 2026 | 1:00 p.m. EST - Daviess, Knox, & Pike Thursday, May 14, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. CST - Vanderburgh & Warrick Monday, May 18, 2026 | 11:00 a.m. CST - Gibson & Posey We encourage all nonprofit partners to attend a session.

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The Vincennes Parks and Recreation Department has been awarded a $15,000 grant to support the construction of a new Children’s Bike Park at Chicago Park—an exciting project championed by local advocate Jordan Daniels in partnership with the department. His leadership and passion for inspiring, enabling, and encouraging healthy activities such as biking have been instrumental in bringing the project to life. “The Community Foundation was the one single thing that got us there, and we wouldn't be where we are with this project without it,” Daniels shared. The park will feature a pump track and a surrounding dirt riding loop designed especially for younger riders, creating a safe and accessible space for kids and families of all skill levels to ride and play outdoors. Daniels emphasized the importance of designing the space with today’s young riders in mind: “Kids don’t ride training wheel bikes; they ride balance bikes. They learn the balance before the pedals. Those bikes are perfect for this. If you're trying to learn to ride a balance bike in town, it’s not the safest—so to have a safe spot to go that will further their skills is huge.” This grant was made possible by the Foundation’s unrestricted grantmaking, which allows us to respond quickly to promising opportunities. “The grant from the Community Foundation was the very key thing that got us over the hump,” Daniels said. “Without it, there was no meeting the deadline to have this finished in early July.” Beyond the park itself, Daniels sees this project as a starting point for deeper community connection. “There are more opportunities to get involved in the community,” he added. “It’s not just about bikes for us, but implementing as many community outreach events as possible.” And right now, unrestricted gifts have even greater impact. Every dollar given to unrestricted funds is eligible for a 2:1 match , helping stretch community support even further. Projects like this are only possible because of your generosity. Your giving continues to strengthen communities across our region, one meaningful investment at a time.

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