Unrestricted Funds

Endowed Funds. When you establish an Unrestricted Endowment Fund with a gift of $10,000 or more, you can name your fund and know that your gift will address a broad range of local needs. The Fund will grow over time so that your gift will address future unanticipated needs as well as current ones. The Evanston Community Foundation evaluates all aspects of community well being, including arts and culture, economic development, education, environment, health and human services and neighborhood revitalization. The flexibility of your unrestricted gift enables our program experts to respond to the community's most pressing needs and significant opportunities, today and tomorrow.

Because you set no restrictions on the use of your gift, our experienced staff and board is able to do what they do best—assess community needs and respond by awarding grants to the nonprofit organizations that undertake our community's most critical work. Unrestricted Funds enable ECF to support long-term solutions; respond quickly to emergencies; and meet changing social, cultural, educational, or environmental needs in our community.

When your fund reaches the level of $20,000 or more, grants will be made in the name of the fund you establish, creating your personal legacy of giving. You may give your gift immediately or through your will or other estate planning strategy. Your endowed gift becomes a permanent community funding resource.

Current Unrestricted and General Use Endowment Funds include:

Evanston Realtors Fund
increases annual grant awards - a fund initiated by real estate professionals; with contributing funds from
           George Cyrus Memorial Fund 
 
Foundation Fund
supports the Foundation's infrastructure - our own agency fund; with contibuting funds from:
           Jim Kogen Foundation Spirit Fund
           Gene Lavengood Fund

Fund for Evanston 
meets community needs as they change over time through Foundation grants and programs - the original fund of the Foundation; with contributing funds from:
           Mr. and Mrs. Carlyle Anderson Fund
           Rees-Servillo/Jan Heffernan Memorial Dinner Fund

Unrestricted General Support Funds. Unendowed gifts may be given to support any of the Foundation's general charitable purposes with the understanding that funds will be spent within the current operating year or over a period of years as agreed upon between donor and Foundation at the time of the gift.

Discretionary Fund – Pooled dollars from many donors support the Foundation's grantmaking, its philanthropic infrastructure, and other community-building programs. For example, gifts to this fund support our increased services to non-profit organizations.

Community Partnerships - Gifts and grants that increase the Foundation's yearly activities in specified areas of interest. Current examples include:

• Root2fruit – Annual gifts from the Mammel Foundation provide funding for grants and mentoring to local grassroots organizations.
  
• Dance Marathon – Since 1998, Dance Marathon at Northwestern University, among the nation's largest student-run philanthropies, has augmented the Foundation's annual grants budget with funds raised locally and across the country.
  
• Northwestern University – Administrators at the University make contributions that increase the Foundation's grants budget in the area of education and select the recipient from a pool recommended by the ECF grants committee.