Celebrating National Community Foundation Week

From November 12 to 18, the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation will join organizations across the country in observing National Community Foundation Week. The celebration recognizes the important role these philanthropic organizations play in responding to community needs and opportunities.

For 75 years, the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation has worked with local nonprofits and donors to strengthen Linn County. This week, community foundations come together to share and reflect on the stories of impact over the past year.

“The Community Foundation exists at the intersection of donors, nonprofits, and the community,” said President & CEO Karla Twedt-Ball. “We are a place where community transformation can happen as long as we listen to and are responsive to the people in our community. Our possibilities are nearly boundless when we bring these activities together.”

Community foundations are independent, public entities that steward philanthropic resources from institutional and individual donors to local nonprofit organizations. They also represent one of the fastest-growing forms of philanthropy. The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation awards more than $11 million in grants each year. These grants support innovation, sustainability, and capacity building within nonprofits that serve Linn County.

Community Foundation Week was created in 1989 by former president George H.W. Bush to recognize the work of community foundations throughout America and their collaborative approach to working with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to address community needs.