January 27, 2022 – Fort Wayne, IN – The Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne announced their 100th Anniversary with a new brand reveal, surprise grantmaking, a new grants initiative, and the launch of their Vision Plan at a press conference on January 27, 2022.
The Community Foundation was founded in 1922 and has been serving Allen County since. As part of the 100th Anniversary, the Community Foundation decided it was time to update their brand to reflect the last 100 years and set a course for the next 100 years. One Lucky Guitar created the Community Foundation’s new logo and brand identity. To see the new logo and brand identity, please visit cfgfw.org. The Community Foundation also announced a new website coming in first quarter that is being created by With a PH Digital.
“We are excited to have a brand that encompasses the last 100 years and the impact we have had on the community while also launching us into the next 100 years,” said Meg Saxman, Director of Marketing and Communications. “We are grateful for the partnerships of One Lucky Guitar and With a PH Digital who have helped us create our new brand identity and tell our story.”
In celebration of the 100th anniversary, the Community Foundation announced five Legacy Partners and awarded them $20,000 each, totaling $100,000! The Legacy Partners are Audiences Unlimited, ACRES Land Trust, The League, The Literacy Alliance, and Northeast Indiana Positive Resource Connection. Each organization aligns with a pillar of the Community Foundation’s newly launched Vision Plan and each has been a grantee of the community foundation for 20 years or more.
The Community Foundation also announced the Pioneer Grant Opportunity: Because We Love Our Community Grants, a new grantmaking program for 2022 focused on finding new nonprofits and groups to fund grassroots efforts in our community. The application will open March 1, 2022. More information on this can be found at cfgfw.org.
The Community Foundation finished the press conference by publically launching their Vision Plan. The Vision Plan is an all-encompassing plan for the Community Foundation’s vision for the community. Focused on the wellbeing of our community, 5 strategic pillars make up the focus for the Community Foundation: Connected Community, Inspiring Places, Everyone’s Economy, Lifelong Learning, and Healthy Mind and Body. Through these pillars, the Community Foundation will focus on creating change through education, research, collaboration, and funding.
“The Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne has spent the last 100 years supporting the community through grants, stewardship of donors’ dollars, and supporting community initiatives such as The Women’s Fund, The Landing, Promenade Park, and Electric Works,” remarked Brad Little, President and CEO. “As we look to the future, the momentum of our community is undeniable. We will continue to do what we do best, connect people and resources to build a more vibrant community.”
For 100 years, the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne has been a public charitable foundation serving Allen County since 1922. The Community Foundation had assets of approximately $183 million at December 31, 2020 and awarded more than $7.9 million in charitable grants and scholarships in that year. The Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne does three things: help people make their charitable giving more impactful, connect funding to nonprofits through effective grantmaking, and provide leadership to address community needs to improve quality of life. Every day we connect people and resources to build a more vibrant community.