Donations
Thank you for your interest in donating to the Boone County Community Foundation. With your donations we are able to help Boone County become a better place to live and work.
Online Donations
You may make an online donation using our PayPal Account by using the Donate Now button. If you have a Special Interest Area, Know the Name of the Fund, or in your gift is in Memory or Honor of Someone, please indicate that in the “How shall Boone County Community Foundation direct your donation?” area of the PayPal page or in the memo area of your check.
All contributions once accepted by the Boone County Community Foundation’s Board, represent an irrevocable contribution to the Boone County Community Foundation and are not refundable. Please note that credit card transactions carry a fee. This fee will be deducted from the gift amount and the net proceeds will be added to the fund. Your tax deduction will still be the gross amount of the gift. To avoid this fee, mail cash or check directly to the Boone County Community Foundation at 600 So. State St., Belvidere, IL 61008.
Community Grants Program
Our Community Grants Program was established by the Melvin and Mildred Banks Fund and the Wilbur and William Cummings Fund. In addition, we have individual donors who contribute to this program every year. All funds raised will be used for additional grants in 2024. Our Community Grants are allocated annually, and nonprofits are awarded funding for projects and programming here in Boone County.
Boone County Disaster Fund
Boone County has been a known area to be hit by tornadoes and other disasters. Everyone can remember or has heard about the tornado devastation from the 1967 disaster. It changed the lives of everyone forever. This fund is managed by the Boone County Community Foundation and accepts monetary tax-deductible donations that will be used to support the mid- to long-term recovery of declared disasters in Boone County.
If you would like to ensure your donation goes to a specific need, click the donate button below and enter your request in the “Add special instructions to the seller.”
Boone County Council on Aging
The Boone County Council on Aging is a group of dedicated professionals working to provide programs, services and supports aimed at improving the lives of mature individuals, their families and caregivers in Boone and surrounding counties. Programs and services originate in distinct areas:
- Community Care Program, home maker services for eligible individuals
- Public Transportation and Para-Transit
- Information & Assistance, navigating Medicare, Medicaid and other programs
- Community Programs, informational, instructional and educational seminars
- Durable Medical Equipment Loan Closet
The agency experienced something more than 30,000 visits in Fiscal Year 2015. Information & Assistance staff worked with more than 10,000 contacts in that same year. Staff are proud to say, “We’re here for you.”
Boone County Historical Society
The Boone County Historical Museum was established in 1968 in the heart of historic downtown Belvidere. BCHM is open Tuesday through Saturday every week for visitors, guided school group tours, special event rentals, and community events. The intriguing history of Boone County is showcased in the museum’s many exhibits and galleries. The mission of the Boone County Historical Society is to stimulate interest in Boone County History through education, research, collection and preservation of artifacts and archival materials.
Regional Access & Mobilization Project, Inc. (RAMP)
RAMP empowers individuals with disabilities (all disabilities, all ages) through services and advocacy to live an independent life. This is accomplished by partnering with them to make changes in their own lives, seek peer support and remove barriers. RAMP also advocates for the implementation of current laws, promotion of needed legislation and improvement of existing systems for people with disabilities while working to diminish negative attitudes that threaten to impede equal access.
RAMP has an intimate understanding of the needs and solutions to advance the lives of people with disabilities. We have this understanding because 51% of our staff and board of directors have a disability. RAMP’s mission is to “promote an accessible society that allows and expects full participation by people with disabilities.” If you need to shorten it, you can remove the second paragraph.
About the Endowment Account:
In 2010, RAMP chose to be proactive and secure the future of services to individuals with disabilities in Boone County by investing in an Endowment Account with the Boone County Community Foundation. An endowment provides a never ending source of opportunity because the principal is never spent. Instead it is wisely invested and managed to grow so that interest income available for program services grows as well. That yearly income creates opportunities for our consumers today and for generations to come.
Boone County Conservation District Fund
The Boone County Conservation District is a locally governed agency whose mission is to “Preserve and manage natural areas and open spaces for ecological, educational, and recreational benefits of present and future generations.” The Boone County Conservation District (BCCD) currently owns and manages 3,500 acres of conservation lands.
Your contribution can help restore important habitat for species of plants and animals in greatest need of conservation; develop or improve passive recreational amenities like hiking and biking trails, picnic shelters, access for canoeing & other paddle craft, restroom and parking facilities; or provide educational opportunities for people of all ages to learn about nature, native landscapes, and so much more! If you appreciate the benefits of nature’s influence on this community’s health and well-being. Please consider this fund as you contemplate your estate or philanthropic gifting. For more information about the BCCD please visit their website – www.bccdil.org.
Boone County Community Foundation can accept the Following Gifts
Cash
Definitely the most popular way to make contributions, both large and small. Gifts can be made online or by mail.
Appreciated Securities
With gifts of stocks or bonds that have been held for some time, donors can avoid significant capital gains, and the net contribution is larger than the actual cost. A real “win-win” for donor and Foundation alike.
Life Insurance
There are a number of ways a donor can use insurance. For example, a policy’s value can be donated to the Foundation, or you may want to name the Foundation as beneficiary.
Real Estate
When a donor gives real estate or other tangible assets, he receives a tax deduction, and can name a specific fund for a specific purpose, after the foundation sells the property.
Estate Planning
Donors may choose to make gifts in their wills. Again, flexibility is important to those making bequests. Talk with your financial planner, trust officer or attorney. The Boone County Community Foundation will be pleased to work with you in this regard.
Questions? Please contact Paul Fischer, Executive Director at 815-544-7231 or email ExecDir@boonecountycommunityfoundation.org.
How to Start a Fund
Decide When to Give
You can create your fund now, establish it in your will, or generate a trust arrangement that benefits your family as well as charity.
Decide What to Give
Almost any kind of asset can be used to start your fund, such as cash, publicly traded securities, closely held stock, real estate, life insurance, and tangible personal property.
Choose the Name for Your Fund
Most of our funds are named for the donor or the donor’s family, or as a memorial to someone special.
Choose a Type of Fund
We offer a variety of funds that are flexible to meet our donors’ different charitable interests:
- Undesignated Funds
Undesignated funds offer the broadest giving option, allowing grants to be made to wherever our board and professional staff determines our community’s needs are the greatest. - Field-of-Interest Funds
These funds create grants that meet needs in a particular field or geographic area that is of interest to you. - Donor-Advised Funds
Donor-advised funds enable you to recommend specific eligible organizations to receive grants. - Scholarship Funds
Scholarship funds enable students to pursue academic goals. You may define guidelines for candidacy, the advisory committee, the school and the field of study. - Designated Funds
These funds let you support specific organizations while we make sure that grants to these groups remain relevant over time and responsive to changing circumstances. - Agency Funds (Organizational Endowment Funds)
Organizational endowment funds are established by nonprofit organizations to provide income to them. We handle all administrative and investment responsibilities, freeing the organization to pursue its charitable mission.
600 South State Street
Belvidere, IL 61008
(p) 815-544-7231
(f) 815-544-7221
