The History of the Foundation
Humble Beginnings
Established in 1985, the Community Foundation of Central Illinois was brought to life by a group of community-minded citizens excited to leverage their generous donations to make lasting change in our community.
Endowment Excellence
From the start, CFCI has focused on building permanent endowments as charitable capital to serve the needs of central Illinois. Our high professional standards in the investment and management of funds entrusted to CFCI is recognized and accredited by the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations – the highest standard for philanthropic excellence.
Lasting Impact
CFCI was created to serve donors with diverse interests at various levels of charitable giving. With extensive knowledge of the community, we link our donors with charitable agencies with the mission and vision that align with their own objectives and philanthropic desires. We also offer maximum flexibility in terms of assets that can be used to create a fund and options for the use of donors’ gifts.
CFCI’s Statement of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
The Community Foundation of Central Illinois is dedicated to maintaining, advocating, practicing, and accounting for policies and actions aimed at achieving cultural equity* within the organization, amongst its donors and grant recipients, and throughout the communities it serves.
Note: *Cultural Equity embodies the values, policies, and practices aimed at ensuring equity for people historically underrepresented based on (but not limited to) race, ethnicity, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, geography, or religion.
By the numbers
in grants to nonprofit organizations
…and counting!
The Power of Endowment
Since its inception, the Community Foundation of Central Illinois (CFCI) has focused on building permanent endowments to provide charitable capital for addressing the evolving needs of our community. Over the years, we have granted more than $145,000,000 to nonprofit organizations, making a real impact in central Illinois. Our commitment to high professional standards in fund investment and management is recognized and accredited by the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations, ensuring that we uphold the highest level of philanthropic excellence and continue to foster meaningful, lasting change in the region.
The Community Foundation of Central Illinois, Where Your Charitable Gifts Last Forever.
“40 Years of Giving – A History of the Community Foundation of Central Illinois” celebrates four decades of generosity, partnership, and community impact. From CFCI’s beginnings in 1985 to the organization it is today, this commemorative history looks back at the people, ideas, and moments that have shaped the Foundation along the way.
Throughout the past 40 years, countless donors, nonprofits, community leaders, volunteers, and partners have played a role in CFCI’s story. Their generosity and commitment have helped strengthen organizations, support important community needs, create new opportunities, and build resources that will continue making a difference for generations to come.
As we celebrate this milestone, we are proud to look back at how far CFCI has come while recognizing that our story has always been about more than one organization. It is a story of people coming together to invest in Central Illinois and create lasting impact in the communities we call home.
