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The Greater Chautauqua Region Estate Planning Council


The mission of The Greater Chautauqua Region Estate Planning Council is to provide education for its members, to enhance understanding of the various professions represented by the Council and to foster collegiality among its members. 

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CRCF Thanks You ...

10 Things
10 Things
10 Things to Know About CRCF

There is a basic list of items that you need to be aware of before you can truly understand the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. The following are 10 informational factoids designed to help you become better acquainted with CRCF:

  1. CRCF is local and here for you.

As a public foundation, CRCF was created by community members for the entire community. If you have charitable needs or philanthropic interests, CRCF can help service these needs and interests.
 2. CRCF has its own legacy.
Established in 1978, the Foundation has operated for 33 years. Over a quarter-century CRCF has proven a reputation as a careful investor of your gifts and knowledgeable source of information on community needs and solutions.
 3. CRCF is based on forever.
CRCF is built on a foundation of permanence. Endowment funds start small but grow in time, just as the Foundation. When community needs change over time, the Foundation will still be around servicing those new needs.
 4. CRCF makes the community better. 
Last year, CRCF awarded approximately $2,200,000 in grants in the areas of arts, civic enrichment, education, and social and human services.
 5. CRCF truly gives back.
In its 33-year history, CRCF has received nearly $55,000,000 in contributions. Of that, over $34,000,000 has been awarded back to the community in grants, with the remainder being invested for fund growth over time.
 6. CRCF makes giving simple.
You can make a simple outright gift, establish a fund, or name CRCF as a beneficiary, knowing every dollar goes toward a charitable purpose.
 7. CRCF knows the community.   
With hundreds of area non-profits, it can be difficult to figure out where to give. CRCF gets to know local non-profit organizations and can assist you in giving to those organizations, whether directly or through a fund.
 8. CRCF is designed to benefit the entire community.
Individual non-profits focus on specific issues, but CRCF’s role is to assist the community as a whole. With community input, CRCF develops grantmaking that addresses a broad range of issues that are most relevant to the community’s needs today.
 9. CRCF is comprised of people of the community.
Eleven volunteer Board members comprised of individuals from all sectors of business and non-profit work, volunteer their time and talents as CRCF ambassadors and governors. Including the staff and an all-volunteer membership, the Foundation represents a broad cross-section of the entire community looking out for your needs.
10. CRCF succeeds on reputation.
Over 500 individuals have created funds with the CRCF, entrusting the Foundation to carry out their charitable wishes. As the Foundation’s reputation grows, so do the number of people who believe in CRCF’s role and mission.
 In addition to the previous 10 points, perhaps the most important thing to know about the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation is that all gifts matter. The notion of a gift being too small is just that…a notion. The fact is whether you are giving $1 or $10,000, every dollar is added to a portfolio that will ultimately serve to benefit the community as a whole. The Foundation today exists to serve you and will carry on its reputation of doing so. Take advantage of all the Foundation can offer by simply calling 661-3390. Above all, allow CRCF to be your foundation.
8Questions
8Questions

Simple Answers To Eight CRCF Questions

1. What is the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation?
CRCF is a philanthropic organization with a mission to enrich the quality of life in the Chautauqua Region. This mission is carried out by providing grants to area non-profits, scholarships to area students, and by acting as a partner to every person and business in the community. CRCF is comprised of a collection of many separate endowment funds established by individual donors, families, charitable organizations and businesses.

 
2. How does the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation work? 
CRCF accepts donations to endowment funds from the public and invests these monies. A portion of the investment returns from these endowment funds, to which the monies were donated, are awarded back to the community each year through grants and scholarships.
 
3. What is an endowment fund?
An endowment is a type of permanent fund, established by a donor, for a charitable purpose. The monies within the fund are invested for growth, with the returns granted annually to specific causes or organizations.
 
4. How do you establish an endowment fund
with CRCF?
With the assistance of CRCF staff, a donor can establish a fund with any name. The donor then designates an organization(s) or field of charitable interests as the recipient(s). When the fund becomes active, the designated recipient(s) or cause will receive an annual grant from the fund. An endowment fund can be established with any amount of money but will not become active until it reaches a balance of $5,000. Scholarship Funds must reach a balance of $7,500.

5. Can gifts be added to an established fund?
Yes, once a fund is established, any amount may be added to that particular fund, or any other fund at CRCF, at any time. Some donors add yearly, some for special occasions and some will designate funds in their wills. As a note, you do not have to have a fund established to make donations to funds at CRCF.

 6. Are there tax advantages of donating to CRCF? 
CRCF is an IRS-qualified 501(c)(3) organization, so all contributions are eligible for tax deductions, whether made by an individual or business.
Additionally, CRCF can handle other forms of gifts including gifts of stock, bonds, mutual funds, and real estate, and can work with donors in setting up planned gifts, such as the Charitable Gift Annuity.
 
7. How are my donations/funds invested?
CRCF has a broad asset allocation managed through 11 investment managers that are required to meet performance benchmarks. CRCF also works with an investment consultant on effective strategies and follows an Investment Policy with strict guidelines. CRCF’s Investment Committee monitors all investment activity and strives for the best possible performance for all funds entrusted to the Foundation.
 
8. What are the overall goals of CRCF?
The broad purpose of the CRCF is to become an ever-growing community partner, so that, together, we can all build a better community for the future. As part of that, CRCF will always strive to create partnerships with individuals, corporations, private foundations, and area non-profits, so that local expertise and resources can address local problems. 

What is the
Community Foundation?

Chautauqua Region Community Foundation is a nonprofit, community corporation created by and for the people of Chautauqua County. We are here to help our donors make a positive impact on their community by establishing a "bridge" between the donor and charitable activities.

 

 

  

Featured Fund

The Bill and Linda Knight 
     Brass Scholarship

Please donate to this newly created fund.

The fund is designed to provide a scholarship to students in grades 6 through 11, who are actively involved in the Jamestown Public Schools music program, have musical ability, are commitmented to music study and demonstrate financial need.

Recent News

Rowing Upstream To Meet Emerging Needs

A problem posed to me many years ago has remained with me. It reminds me that each challenge has its own set of expected and unexpected complexities.

“A rowboat needs to travel upstream a distance of thirteen miles. Its maximum speed is 3 mph, and the river flows at rate of 1 mph. What time will the boat need to leave the dock to arrive at its destination by 5 p.m.?”
Community Foundation and Greenway Friends Unite

Chautauqua County officials have worked diligently to clear legal and other details to allow “Friends of Chautauqua County Greenways” to maintain the existing trails of the financially challenged County parks system.

This volunteer group, concerned with the well-being of all the County’s natural recreational assets has established a non-endowed fund at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. 

Memorial Scholarship for Lucile T. Valvo

Lucile T. Valvo will be memorialized in many ways, one of which is the newly established Lucile T. Valvo Memorial Fund at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.  the Lucile T. Valvo Memorial Fund will assist a graduating Forestville Central School student or students majoring in a Business-related field with a “B” or better G.P.A. 
Kidder Memorial United Methodist Church is Now More Energy Efficient

The Kidder Memorial United Methodist Church recently installed six new energy efficient windows in the Sunday school pre-school classroom, thanks in part to Karl Peterson Field of Interest Fund housed at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.