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Millcreek-West Unity Area Foundation
Quick Links:
History
What is an endowment?
People give THROUGH the Edon
Area Foundation not TO the
Foundation.
What exactly does the Edon Area
Foundation do?
How does an organization apply
for a grant?
How often are grants awarded?
What types of funds can donors
establish?
I am not originally from Edon. I
want to help the area I came
from. Can the Edon Area
Foundation help me?
I would like to establish a
fund. What do I do next?
Officers
and Board Members
Founded in
1994, the West Unity Area
Foundation exists to enhance the
quality of life for all citizens
of West Unity,
now and for generations to come,
by building community endowment,
addressing needs through grant
making and serving as a leader,
catalyst and resource for
charitable giving.
The West Unity Area Foundation
currently has the following
Named Funds:
Click
on fund name to read biography.
What is an endowment?
An endowment is a pool
of money or fund that
provides income for the
continuing maintenance or
on-going support of an
organization or program. An
endowment is designed so
that the original gift of
the donor is not spent, only
the income the original gift
generates is spent. An
endowment should be thought
of as permanent.
People give THROUGH the
West Unity Area Foundation
not TO the Foundation.
The West Unity Area
Foundation is here to serve
you. The foundation exists
in cooperation with the
Bryan Area Foundation to
administer charitable gifts
in accordance with the
wishes of donors. The
West Unity Area Foundation
will continue to meet your
charitable goals long into
the future. What is
important to donors is what
is important to the
foundation. The West Unity
Area Foundation will work
with you to provide for your
favorite church, school or
other charitable
organization no matter where
those organizations may be
located.
What exactly does the
West Unity Area Foundation
do?
The West Unity Area
Foundation will…
• Honor the spirit
and intent of each donor’s
gift.
• Exercise leadership
and promote partnerships
that build better
communities and
enhance the quality of life.
• Meet emerging
community needs through
effective, visionary and
sensitive grant making.
• Work in harmony with
the Bryan Area Foundation to
assist donors by serving as
a permanent resource
for receiving and administering charitable gifts in a prudent
manner.
• Act as a catalyst
for improvement and a
resource for people and
organizations that have a
charitable desire.
• Develop, promote and
encourage philanthropy
How does an organization
apply for a grant?
The foundation makes
grants to projects done by
or through 501 (c) (3)
organizations as determined
by the Internal Revenue
Service as well as duly
recognized governmental
departments. Grants are not
generally made for projects
which have already occurred,
debt retirement, general
operating expenses, or for
annual campaigns. With the
exception of a very few
educational awards, grants
are not made to individuals
or for a specific
individual’s direct benefit
or for purely personal
needs. The foundation
encourages proposals for
programs that address needs
within West Unity and the
immediately surrounding
area; however, our service
area is not limited
geographically. Potential
donors are
strongly encouraged to call
the foundation prior to
submitting a full proposal
to discuss the
appropriateness of
West Unity Area Foundation
funding.
How often are grants
awarded?
Grants may be awarded
four times during the year,
in December, March, June, and
September.
What types of funds can
donors establish?
Donors may make
contributions in any amount.
Any gift received that is
not designated as an
addition to an existing fund
or used to establish a
specific fund is placed in
the WEST UNITY AREA
FOUNDATION GENERAL FUND.
Donors may make gifts to the
GENERAL FUND over a period
of time to reach the minimum
amount required to establish
a specific fund.
One of the advantages of a
community foundation is that it
provides a vehicle for all
citizens to contribute to the
betterment of their own
community. This means that gifts
of all sizes are encouraged,
appreciated, and important.
Gifts of any size may be made to
any of the foundation’s existing
funds.
One can either
contribute to an existing fund
or create a new fund. With gifts
of $5,000 or more, a donor has
the opportunity to create a
named fund.
Seven different types of
named funds are possible:
Community Funds
Gifts to the community endowment
fund provide the most
broad-based support to the
community over the years.
Community funds are unrestricted
so they provide the foundation’s
trustees the most flexibility in
grant making. New opportunities
and challenges await, and gifts
to the community fund position
the foundation to meet the
emerging needs of our
community. Gifts to the
community fund may be made in
any amount. Donors may wish to
establish a “named” community
fund with a gift of $5,000.
Scholarship Funds
Scholarship funds provide
financial support for the
continuing education of
students. Organizations or
individual donors specify the
restrictions for eligibility
(such as course of study, school
the student will attend, or high
school from which the student is
graduating) within foundation
guidelines.
Designated Funds
Designated funds provide
financial support to a specific
qualifying organization. Donors
establish this type of fund when
they want to provide a permanent
income stream to a church,
school, or other favorite
charity.
Project
Funds
Project funds are established as
a partnership between the
foundation and an organization
for a short-term charitable
project. Funds of this type are
not endowment funds. Under
normal circumstances, project
funds will be depleted as the
designated project is finished.
This is the only type of fund in
which contributions are spent.
Field of Interest Funds
Field of interest funds support
a specific area of the donor’s
concern, such as education, the
arts, youth services, the
elderly or the disabled. The
foundation uses income from
these funds to benefit programs
or organizations within the
field of interest.
Endowment Funds
Endowment funds are
a form of a designated fund
where the donor is a nonprofit
agency or organization
contributing funds to provide
current income and long-term
security for its operation.
Endowment
funds may be established by
either an individual donor or
qualifying charitable
organization. The Bryan Area
Foundation has the unique
ability to hold assets for a
charitable organization in a
named endowment fund and
annually distribute a set
percentage back to the
not-for-profit organization to
meet its needs.
Donor Advised Funds
Donor advised funds provide
convenience and flexibility by
enabling donors to support their
favorite charities in both lean
and profitable years through the
foundation. A donor receives a
tax deduction in the year in
which the gift is made, and is
able to suggest distributions to
specific charities over a longer
period of time. Donors often
choose this kind of fund (as
well as designated funds) to
remember their alma maters,
churches, and other favorite
charities.
I am not originally from
West Unity. I want to help
the area I came from. Can
the West Unity Area
Foundation help me?
Yes. A donor may
establish a Field of
Interest Fund to benefit
a particular community. It
does not matter where that
community is. Donors may
establish Scholarship
Funds that benefit
students graduating from or
attending any school.
Designated Agency Funds
can benefit an organization
of the donor’s choice
regardless of where that
organization is located. The
goal of the West Unity Area
Foundation is to HELP YOU
provide for the community,
church, school, or other
charitable organization that
is important to YOU.
I would like to establish
a fund. What do I do next?
Call the Bryan Area
Foundation at (419)
633-1156. Mitchell Owens will
work with you or your
organization to meet your
specific needs. There are
many ways to establish a
fund within the West Unity
Area Foundation. Mitchell can
share with you ways that
offer the maximum benefit to
you and to other donors.
Officers
Rodney Loetz,
President
Ted Maneval, Vice President
Connie Richer, Secretary
Lewis Hilkert, Treasurer
Trustees
Harold Carder
Thomas Cromwell
Duane King
Dolores Stuckey
Shirley Taylor
Members
Eldo
Burkholder
Janice Cox
Barb Crisenbery
Denise Dean
Kathy Detwiler
Carol Heer
James Hutchinson
Linda Johnston
Charles Klinger
Del Kuney
Dorothy Kuney
Jerri Landon
Kurt Lillemon
Patsy Miller
Wayne Patten
Kathy Stipe
Bart Westfall
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