2021 Annual Report

Click image to view 2021 Annual Report in Flipbook Form

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Table of Contents:

• A Letter From the President
• 2021: By the Numbers
• Timeline of CFSI’s First 30 Years
• Helping Understand Our Community | Dr. Melissa Fry
• Improving Access to Public Spaces & Amenities | Quality of Place – Pathways to Progress
• Planting Seeds of Opportunity | Donor Spotlight: Dr. Rex Bickers
• Online Exclusive: Internship Spotlight | Ms. Brianna Christensen
• Advisor Spotlight | Mr. Justin Endres
• A Lifetime Dedicated to Giving | Legacy Spotlight: Dr. Joe and Kathy Jacobi
• Scholarships
• Lilly Scholars: Where Are They Now?
• Community Leadership: Making an Impact Together
• Our Community’s Future: Youth Philanthropy Council
• United Community Changes Lives
• Continued Support Remains a Priority | COVID-19 Relief Fund
• Giving Back & Thank You!
• 2021 Financial Highlights
• Board of Directors

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A Letter From the President:

Dear Friends,

This has been an exciting year for the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana. This has been a milestone year for the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana. We’re celebrating 30 years of impact in our community – where we have grown from a Foundation with just a few charitable funds and $1 million in charitable assets, to a true philanthropic partner in our region that now administers over 280 funds and $164 million in assets. More importantly, we have granted over $52 million to our community since 1991.

The Community Foundation of Southern Indiana exists to work with individual donors, families, and businesses to provide unique and customized giving options; to be a partner and resource for our area’s professional advisors and nonprofit organizations; and to provide leadership on important community issues. As a result, our collection of individual donor funds provides grants to increase access to affordable, high-quality early care and education; to increase access to mental health services; to ensure access to art and cultural experiences across income levels; to build and attract living wage jobs. And on and on.

Thirty years ago, the needs and priorities in our community were different. Thirty years from now, they may look different still. But as you will see in this report to the community, we will continue to make an impact in Clark and Floyd counties – and it’s all possible because of your support. We hope to inspire you to give and make a difference. Once you do, you can be confident the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana will still be here generations from now – creating positive change and impact for the betterment of all our residents.

We hope you enjoy learning more about CFSI through our annual report and encourage you click through to read the full version of these stories and more!

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CFSI Provides…

In 2021, thanks to your support, CFSI has provided community leadership on important regional issues; made grants and scholarships that make this a better place to live, work and play; and acted as your philanthropic partner – connecting people to the causes they care most about.

2021: By the Numbers

• $6.0 million in grants and scholarships
• 284 individual charitable funds fulfilling donor intent
• $1.1 million in COVID-19 Relief Funds granted out
• $402,000 in Community Impact Fund grants
• 103 scholarships awarded for Class of 2021
• $459,000 in scholarships awarded to Class of 2021
• $307,000 in Lilly Scholarships awarded to Class of 2021
• Over 100,000 people helped through our grants to area nonprofits
• $164 million in assets
• $5.1 million in fundholder grants
• $52 million in grants since 1991
• $2.7 million from Community Impact Fund since 1991

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Timeline of CFSI’s First 30 Years:

The Community Foundation of Southern Indiana was formed by a group of Southern Indiana leaders who wanted to build charitable resources that would benefit nonprofits and residents of Southern Indiana forever. Through their support – and support from the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. and Paul Ogle Foundation – the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana was established in 1991.

1991-1995

Thanks to a $250,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment and a $250,000 matching gift by the Paul Ogle Foundation, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana began its legacy in our communities in 1991. Over the next four years, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana would grow to hold nearly $7 million in assets and would serve the counties of Clark, Floyd, Scott, Crawford, and Harrison in Southern Indiana.

1996-2000

After moving into its new headquarters at One Commerce Square, the Foundation began its growth across our community. The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship started, giving Indiana high school students an opportunity for a free, four-year tuition at any 4-year college or university in the state. By the end of the millennium, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana had awarded over $1 million in total grants to our community.

2001-2005

The Community Foundation of Southern Indiana expanded its reach in the early 2000’s. The Youth Philanthropy Council was formed, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana became the 7th largest of 94 Indiana community foundations, and four supporting organizations were formed under the Foundation’s umbrella. Changes also occurred, as both Scott County and Crawford County became separate entities after branching off from the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana. By the end of 2005, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana had more than $28 million in total assets.

2006-2010

Supporting organizations took center stage in 2006. Over the next several years, the Foundation would become involved with numerous community initiatives, including the Jeffersonville Carnegie Library restoration project. It also included education-based initiatives, such as the Dictionary Project and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which were both established to help improve literacy rates in our region. Despite the stock market’s decline from 2008-2010, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana still held $20.8 million in charitable assets.

2011-2015

In 2012, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana played an important role in the long-term recovery efforts following the March 2 tornadoes – which damaged Henryville and surrounding areas – granting over $325,000 from our Disaster Relief Fund and donating hundreds of hours of staff volunteer time to March2Recovery to help with the rebuilding efforts. The year 2015 also marked the production of the first Community Needs Assessment. This comprehensive community study helped focus our grantmaking to directly address the greatest needs in our region identified by our community’s residents, businesses, and community leaders. Finally, Harrison County branched off from the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana, forming its own Community Foundation.

2016-2021

Beginning in 2016, the Foundation took a step forward with providing leadership on important community issues, partnering with Impact 100, Align Southern Indiana, and United Community to make a positive impact on our community. In addition to community leadership, the Foundation focused on improving our region’s quality of life, awarding its first Quality of Place – Pathways to Progress grants, as well as updating the Community Needs Assessment from 2015. Thanks to the Lilly GIFT VII matching grants in 2016 and 2018, our unrestricted assets grew by a combined $3.9 million thanks to the generosity of our donors. Finally, when the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic struck in 2020, the Foundation used its Disaster Relief Fund to support nonprofits and small businesses at the height of the crisis.

Looking Forward – The Next 30 Years

If our last 30 years have taught us anything, it’s that we have no idea what the future holds for us. We don’t know how needs will evolve over the next three decades, or what changes we will have to make to accommodate them. But what we do know is that your Community Foundation will be here as a permanent resource to help our region address those needs. And we know that your generosity is what allows us to accomplish this mission. No matter what the next 30 years may hold, rest assured that you can count on the Foundation to continue to serve as the area’s partner, resource, and steward in philanthropy – both for current and future generations.

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Helping Understand Our Community

Dr. Melissa Fry

In 2015, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana provided our community of Clark and Floyd counties with a groundbreaking new resource – the Assessment of Needs and Priorities in Clark and Floyd. The report, commissioned by the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana and produced by Dr. Melissa Fry and the Indiana University Southeast Applied Research and Education Center, highlighted our area’s strengths, our greatest concerns, the highest priorities for improving our communities, as well as the gaps and overlaps in services and funding.

In 2021, that report was updated to include new information and data findings and continued to explore the region’s aspirations for building on its assets to address the area’s highest priorities and greatest challenges.

The updated report, the Priorities for Progress: Assets and Aspirations in Southern Indiana 2021, proved to be just as important for the region as its predecessor. The report combined a detailed look at publicly available data with the perceptions of area residents and leaders to identify strategies to improve quality of life and quality of place in Clark and Floyd counties.

Overall, the Needs Assessment has allowed the Foundation to elevate its role as a leader in our area by bringing a collaborative regional focus to critical community problems highlighted in the report that do not recognize geographic boundaries.

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Improving Access to Public Spaces & Amenities

Quality of Place – Pathways to Progress

To residents, it will come as no surprise that Southern Indiana’s amenities and great quality of life are attracting new growth and opportunities as more businesses and families are calling Clark and Floyd Counties home.

To capitalize on this momentum, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana is designating a portion of its annual grantmaking funds to the Quality of Place – Pathways to Progress Grants Program. This annual support will provide for initiatives aimed at improving our region’s quality of place.

Pathways to Progress Grants will focus on projects designed to serve people with the least access to safe, high-quality public spaces and amenities, typically those who have barriers of some sort to full enjoyment of our public parks, venues, and amenities – whether that barrier is low income; transportation or mobility challenges; or physical and/or mental differences. When our public spaces, venues and amenities are more open and welcoming to even our most vulnerable citizens, our communities are more welcoming and attractive to all residents, tourists, and employers, which attracts business and economic development.

For these most vulnerable populations, the Foundation will fund nonprofit initiatives designed to improve:

Scott Martin, executive director with River Heritage Conservancy said, “The spectacular natural places found in Southern Indiana defines our home community. We are so appreciative of the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana for investing in ways to make these special places more accessible and enjoyable for all.”

A regular, annual grant cycle for Quality of Place grants, which awards grants up to $150,000, opened July 1, 2021.

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Planting Seeds of Opportunity

Donor Spotlight: Dr. Rex Bickers

Against a backdrop of flowers and nature, Brianna Christensen leads a class of eager young students at Waterfront Botanical Garden’s Avish Estates in Louisville. A recent Floyd Central High School (FCHS) graduate, Brianna can share her passion for botany with students, thanks to an uncommon internship opportunity.

The organization that sponsors the internship varies from year-to-year, but one common denominator is that the internship, unlike so many others available, is paid – a rare perk for high schoolers.  The funding comes from a permanent endowment, the Howard Johnson III Memorial Fund, held at the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana. Dr. Rex Bickers, a retired physician and FCHS graduate, created the fund recently when he sought a unique way to honor Howard Johnson III, a classmate who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in 1971 during their high school years. 

“The staff at the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana were patient in educating me on possible ways to carry out my intentions,” Bickers said. “The Johnson family expressed a wish that the fund would provide a paid internship, a learning opportunity in a real-world adult setting. It would not be tied to plans to go to college. They believed college was not the right answer for every student.”

The Community Foundation of Southern Indiana invests and administers the Fund, ensuring the internship will endure forever.

Thanks to Dr. Bickers’ idea and generosity, the Howard Johnson III Memorial Fund has provided support for paid internships to nonprofit organizations across Kentuckiana. Students like Christensen earn paid, on-the-job training in a future career field.

“This internship program has been nothing short of incredible, and the people I have worked with have been amazing,” Christensen said. “When I leave for Indiana University in the Fall, I plan on majoring in Environmental Management. With this experience under my belt, I feel even more prepared thanks to everything I learned from my internship.”

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Online Exclusive: Internship Spotlight

Ms. Brianna Christensen

The summer following senior year in high school can be both a magical and frightening time for students. While it’s exciting to think about new adventures and opportunities that await, it can also be a time of uncertainty about the future.

For Floyd Central High School (FCHS) graduate Brianna Christensen, she was offered to leave all the noise behind her in the months following her graduation and focus on something she loved: botany.

Thanks to a unique internship opportunity offered to FCHS students by Floyd Central alum Dr. Rex Bickers, Brianna got something in addition to a hands-on experience in her future field of study – she was paid.

Brianna was one of the fortunate students who was selected to participate in the internship program through the Howard Johnson III Memorial Fund at the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana. As the co-President of the Environmental Sustainability Club during her time at FCHS, Brianna loved spending time around plants and greenery – and thanks to the internship program, now she had an opportunity to get her hands dirty, literally, with the Waterfront Botanical Gardens (WBG) in Louisville, KY.

Dividing her time between the Waterfront Botanical Gardens and the smaller Avish Estates branch, Brianna spent the summer mentoring elementary-aged students, teaching them all about plants, flowers, and their life cycles. Not only was she leading a class about a subject she loved dearly, but Brianna was also planting the seeds of knowledge for her students to one day have the opportunity to fall in love with it, too.

As for future students interested in applying for a paid internship through the Howard Johnson III Memorial Fund, Brianna wholeheartedly endorses it.

“I would say that you should definitely do it,” Christensen said. “This internship program has been incredible, and the people I have worked with have been amazing. What you learn as a person during this internship will improve you in so many aspects of your life. When you combine that with being paid to do something you love, applying for this opportunity was a no-brainer for me. I would absolutely encourage others to do the same.”

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Advisor Spotlight

Mr. Justin Endres

When local attorney Justin Endres lived in the Windy City for a brief stint, he was a stone’s throw away from the mecca of the baseball world: Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. While it’s a stretch from his Wrigleyville past, Justin is still playing a large role with youth athletics in our community in addition to his law practice.

Working as the long-time President of New Albany Little League, Endres helped oversee the new baseball and softball complex in Kevin Hammersmith Memorial Park behind Northside Church in New Albany. He also started the New Albany Track Club, which is a running group with 600+ kids involved each year.

But while Justin is known locally for his community service record, his professional resume at Young, Lind, Endres & Kraft (YLEK) is equally as impressive. Since 1968, YLEK has been serving residents of Clark and Floyd Counties. During that time, the practice has become a trusted community partner that serves the individual needs of its clients.

After joining the firm in 2009, he has focused a large part of his civil legal practice on estate planning, real estate, and litigation. He has also participated in multiple cases before the U.S. Supreme Court during his career.

Justin recommends the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana to his charitable clients because the staff is “professional and knows what they are doing.” He says the staff understands the goals of his clients and what they want to do, simply because they’ve done it before – for 30 years and counting.

“The Community Foundation of Southern Indiana provides a stable and reputable place for planning for the future,” Endres said. “Small or large gifts, for people who want to have their gift last for generations, the Foundation provides that ease and knowledge base right here in the community to help people achieve their charitable goals.”

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A Lifetime Dedicated to Giving

Legacy Spotlight: Dr. Joe and Kathy Jacobi

When Dr. Joe Jacobi was introduced to the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana at its inception in 1991, he was cautiously optimistic about what a charitable organization like it could mean for this area. After all, he was no stranger to philanthropy and spent much of his life helping others – both in his community and abroad – and he could envision the impact of a local, permanent philanthropic resource right here in Southern Indiana.

Almost naturally, Dr. Joe became involved with the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana, reviewing applications on both the Scholarship and Community Grants Committees, as well as acting on the Community Advisory Board. Professionally, Dr. Joe also led a successful solo dental practice in Jeffersonville that spanned nearly four decades.

But in 1995, his life changed when he met a beautiful woman named Kathy, who he would go on to be his partner in marriage, as well as in philanthropy. With Kathy as his support, Dr. Joe would become even more involved with the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana, serving two terms (2008-2013) on the Board of Directors, including chairing the board in 2012-13.

After retiring from dentistry in 2011, Dr. Joe transitioned into volunteer medical mission work, traveling to 13 countries through Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, India, and the Philippines with Remote Area Medical to provide free dental pop-up clinics. Kathy continued her work as the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Community Foundation of Louisville, and later as President of the Felix E. Martin, Jr. Foundation in Muhlenberg County, KY. Today, both are still involved with WaterStep, a local nonprofit whose mission is to provide safe water to communities in developing countries, with Dr. Joe acting as the organization’s Volunteer Director of Manufacturing since 2013.

Ultimately, the pair decided to take the next step in their financial involvement with the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana. Dr. Joe and Kathy decided that arranging for a Legacy gift through their estate plans to the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana’s Community Impact Fund would be a way to assure they would make a final gift to be used for the greatest needs and highest priorities of the community that was so instrumental in their life.

“We believe in the model and mission of community foundations, which is to carry on after you’re no longer here. And that’s a very important thing to both of us – to leave funds that not only can benefit the nonprofits you are intimately involved with while you are alive, but to also provide funds for the flexibility of the changing needs of the future,” Kathy said. “The needs of Southern Indiana are so different now than when the Foundation started in the 90s, and without the flexibility of unrestricted funds at the Community Foundation, there is no clear way to address that quickly. So ultimately, I think a Legacy gift is even more important than lifetime gifts.”

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Scholarships

In 2021, CFSI distributed over 100 scholarship awards with a combined value of over $766,000 including our Lilly Scholar awards! Thank you to each of our scholarship fundholders and the donors who make these life-changing scholarships available to our community’s students.

A full list of scholarship funds can be found by clicking here.

Lilly Scholars

Each of these four seniors from Clark and Floyd Counties were chosen to receive a full four-year scholarship from the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program.

Corinne Dilger Jeffersonville High School	Giavanna Yowell New Albany High School	Jackson Mullins Clarksville High School	Leila Sidahmed Clarksville High School

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Lilly Scholars: Where are They Now?

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Community Leadership: Making an Impact Together

Now more than ever, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana believes in building partnerships that create lasting impact for our communities. By working together, we can accomplish things that can only happen through the power of collaborative partnerships. We choose to partner with other organizations to create change, providing leadership on important community issues to make a positive impact on our region.

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Our Community’s Future

Youth Philanthropy Council

Since 2001, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana’s Youth Philanthropy Council (YPC) has encouraged area high school students to give back to their communities. By completing service projects and offering a competitive grant cycle, these committed, next-generation student leaders learn about making philanthropy a habit for future generations.

The YPC has awarded $148,843 in grants from its endowment fund to area nonprofits since 2002, with a focus on addressing the needs of our region’s youth.

In addition to their annual grant cycle, the YPC conducted a “Warm Drive” that consisted of collecting coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and blankets, and in turn, donating them to Hope Southern Indiana for its homeless outreach.

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United Community Changes Lives

United Community is a regional initiative that uses an innovative shared, virtual technology platform to provide wrap around services for residents in Clark and Floyd Counties. The virtual program easily refers and connects individuals to the local services they need in the community. Organizations can also track outcomes and measure the impact of the services they deliver.

Over the past 12 months, United Community has provided wraparound support to individuals struggling with everything from housing, transportation, addiction, unemployment, hunger – whatever their primary need when they reach out for help, the platform is also able to connect them with assistance for any other needs they have. In turn, these efforts have measurably improved health, education, and well-being outcomes among children, individuals, and families.

United Community is already making a difference for our residents, as shown here.

Success Story #1: Family Health Centers of Southern Indiana, as told by Gracy Cortez

“We use the Ride United service of United Community primarily, which provides patients with free transportation to and from their appointments. It is such a benefit to our patients to be able to offer rides for medical and dental appointments at our clinic locations, especially during COVID-19. Many were afraid to ride the bus, or did not have rides, and had conditions that could not be addressed through a tele-medicine visit. We helped patients get to their medical, lab, chiropractic, and dental appointments, which is great because they would have otherwise missed their appointments due to their transportation barrier. When we can help our clients get to their appointments, it helps them stay compliant with their care, which is a plus for us and the patient!”

Success Story #2: Southern Indiana Works, as told by Tony Waterson

“United Community provides the talent development system in Southern Indiana with an effective digital platform to connect, collaborate, and coordinate our regional services, allowing for a more customer centric and holistic approach in the development of our workforce. “  

Success Story #3: Hope Southern Indiana, as told by Angie Graf

“Our client had COVID-19 prior to our assistance and was let go by his employer due to his time off with the virus. He had been working off and on but was having difficulty finding consistent work due to his Asperger Syndrome. Now, he has found permanent employment and Hope Southern Indiana has helped him find financial and housing resources. United Community was a great support for him because he struggles socially. But the United Community platform allowed our client to work with only one case worker, who helped him apply through the system at several organizations until one was able to help him.”

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Continued Support Remains a Priority

COVID-19 Relief Fund

For 30 years, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana has provided funding for a variety of people to support nonprofit organizations across our region. So, when the world was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, getting support to those who needed it most became the top priority.

As COVID-19 raged on, many individuals, families, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations found themselves in the virus’s crosshairs. The pandemic temporarily shut down the country’s economic expansion, taking a toll on the U.S. labor market. Unemployment rates reached an all-time high, putting increased pressure on local nonprofit organizations to provide for those in need. As needs increased dramatically across the spectrum, resources available for nonprofits were decreasing. From operational support to eviction assistance, from food insecurity to cleaning supplies, local organizations needed help to provide basic necessities for those impacted.

In early March 2020, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana’s COVID-19 Relief Fund was seeded with $100,000 from the Foundation’s own unrestricted Community Impact Fund, a permanent fund that is used by the Board of Directors to address the greatest needs and highest priorities of our local area. Ultimately, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana was able to deploy more than one million dollars contributed by generous donors from all over the country to Southern Indiana small businesses and nonprofits.

100% of the COVID-19 Relief Fund was granted out to provide vital resources that helped small businesses keep their doors open and allowed our nonprofit partners to provide food, utility, and rent assistance, personal protective equipment, mental health services, and more.

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Giving Back

Everyone has their own unique interests and ideas on how to give back to their community. Maybe you want to get your children and grandchildren involved as a family in your giving, establish a scholarship, provide support for your church, favorite nonprofit, or alma mater, leave a legacy through your will, or simply help address our community’s greatest needs.

Whatever your financial or charitable goals, whatever your means, whatever your passions – the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana will help make your giving easy, flexible, and meaningful. We’ll work with you to establish a customized charitable fund that supports your favorite causes and makes the most sense for your personal situation. It all starts with you and your ideas for how you’d like to make this world a better place. We can help start the conversation about your charitable vision.

• Donor Advised Funds
• Charitable Checking Accounts
• Legacy Funds
• Community Impact Fund
• Scholarship Funds
• … and many more options.

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Thank You!

To our community, donors, fundholders and Legacy Society members, we say thank you for helping us make a difference in Southern Indiana for three decades. We’re applying our resources to address the greatest needs of our community, and because of your support, last year our grants to area nonprofits helped us reach over 100,000 people throughout Clark and Floyd counties. Thank you for allowing us to be the partner, resource, and steward for philanthropy in our community.

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Board of Directors

The members of the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana assure that the Foundation’s resources are used effectively and efficiently to accomplish our vision and mission.

Chair: Sharon Handy
Vice Chair: Damon Massey
Treasurer: Adam Naville
Secretary: S. Butch Shaw
Immediate Past-Chair: Lisa Brones Huber