The Community Foundation of Noble County Receives National Recognition
Local Organization Accredited with Rigorous Philanthropic Standards

Kendallville, IN—Community Foundation of Noble County recently received accreditation with the nation’s highest standard for philanthropic excellence. National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations® establish legal, ethical, effective practices for community foundations everywhere.
“Meeting the National Standards benchmarks is a rigorous, comprehensive process,” said Randy Royster, board member of the Council on Foundations. “This accreditation is a significant accomplishment that indicates Community Foundation of Noble County demonstrates a commitment to transparency, quality, integrity and accountability as it carries out its mission.”

The National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations® program requires community foundations to document their policies for donor services, investments, grantmaking and administration. With over 500 community foundations already accredited nationwide, the program is designed to provide quality assurance to donors, as well as to their legal and financial advisors.

“This is important to our donors,” said Margarita White, Executive Director, Community Foundation of Noble County. “When people make a charitable bequest or establish a fund, they are putting their trust in us. They are counting on us to manage the investment wisely, honor their charitable wishes. The Community Foundation of Noble County works to meet critical community needs and support local causes, including, “supporting the arts, parks, education, local scholarships, and many other community needs. The National Standards accreditation says our house is in order.”

The Community Foundation of Noble County offers a range of charitable funds, allowing donors to advance a cause, support an individual organization, provide flexible support for community needs or recommend individual grants. In addition to affirming the organization’s philanthropic services, the accreditation validates the Community Foundation of Noble County’s grantmaking practices for the nonprofit community.

“Grantmaking is a lot like investing,” said Tom Leitch, Program Director, Community Foundation of Noble County. “We need to assess risks, weigh potential gains, diversify assets, monitor performance, and operate fairly. With our National Standards accreditation, you can be assured that we’re doing just that.”

National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations® is the first program of its kind for charitable foundations in the United States.

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The Community Foundation of Noble County recently interviewed ten top honor students in the final phase of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship nomination process for Noble County.  These students were selected to interview based on their applications submitted in September to the community foundation which were reviewed by a panel of judges representing the central, east and west part of Noble County.

The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides four years of full-tuition and required fees awarded to one well-rounded high school senior who resides in Noble County, who will receive a diploma from an accredited Indiana high school by the end of June 2023 and will pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at an accredited public or private college or university in Indiana. Community Foundation of Noble County also requires community service, volunteerism, extra-curricular activities, leadership roles and honors and awards and at least a 3.80 high school grade point average.

Students interviewed were:
Rachel Becker – East Noble High School
Max Bender – East Noble High School
Addison Dills – East Noble High School
Grant Flora – West Noble High School
Hailey Holbrook – Churubusco Junior/Senior High School
Miriam Kline – Churubusco Junior/Senior High School
Ryan Norden – East Noble High School
Eva Refeld – Churubusco Junior/Senior High School
Austin Shepherd – Lakewood Park Christian School
Bethany Trinklein – West Noble High School

Names of the top candidates will be submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc for final selection of the recipient. ICI is a nonprofit organization that represents 29 regionally accredited, degree-granting, nonprofit, private colleges, and universities in the state.  The Noble County recipient of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship will be announced in early December 2022. Finalists not selected for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship will receive a $1,000 scholarship from the Community Foundation of Noble County

The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships are the result of a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative to 1) to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana; 2) to increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities; and 3) to encourage and support the efforts of current and past Lilly Endowment Community Scholars to engage with each other and with Indiana business, governmental, educational, nonprofit and civic leaders to improve the quality of life in Indiana generally and in local communities throughout the state. A total of 147 Lilly scholarships are awarded statewide.

Pictured from left are:
Bethany Trinklein, Rachel Becker, Addison Dills, Ryan Norden, and Max Bender.
Standing: Eva Refeld, Austin Shepherd, Miriam Kline, Hailey Holbrook, and Grant Flora.

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Dear Friends,

You hear us talk about endowments all the time—they are the main ingredient (a.k.a.: the secret sauce) to our recipe for a greater tomorrow in Noble County.Endowment is just a fancy word that means your gift will last forever.

Remember Johnny Appleseed? He got his endearing moniker by generously giving struggling frontiersmen the gift of apple seedlings. This American pioneer knew the settlers needed apples to support their homes and families. This knowledge ensured that His gift would last forever.

The simple act of planting seeds today so they can produce fruit tomorrow is a tale as old as Johnny Appleseed. That’s why endowments are so powerful!

Consider this modern-day example. Imagine that a local couple, Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Elizabeth Smith, started an endowment named after their family when the foundation began in 1991 with a generous donation of $500,000. Just 31 years later the Charles and Elizabeth Smith Endowed Fund would have granted a total of $843,607 and their fund would currently be valued at $687,470. Additionally, every charity that the Smith’s loved gets a gift from their endowment annually—forever. Now imagine if that original donation of $500,000 had been given all at once, directly to the charities. It’s likely that their entire donation would be gone by now. But, because they planted endowment seeds, Charles and Elizabeth’s fund will produce grantmaking fruit as long as apple trees grow in Indiana.

It’s because of endowed investments like this that many charities receive yearly grants to support their missions from the Community Foundation annually. And it’s because of Johnny Appleseed’s benevolence to struggling pioneers that we’re able to able to share this delicious Apple Crisp recipe with you today. That’s the power of endowed giving!

Are you sowing seeds that will bear fruit? Call us, we can help you with a wise philanthropic investment that will last forever.
Margarita White, Program Director and Donor