The Community Foundation of Boone County is in the midst of a fundraising campaign to raise $825,000 by the end of 2025. The effort is part of a matching grant program from the Lilly Endowment, totaling $1.5 million — funds the foundation will use to enhance its community grantmaking initiatives by addressing local unmet needs, identifying their root causes and building up the operational endowment for lasting philanthropic impact.
“We’re doing a lot of fundraising initiatives right now. A lot of the people that are helping us drive it are our historical supporters who live in Zionsville,” Community Foundation of Boone County CEO Julie Reagan said. “That money is what we use to award grants to the community.”
The grant triples donations made to any current or new unrestricted community impact fund, by matching $2 from the Lilly Endowment for every $1 gifted, up to $675,000. Funds will allow the community foundation to give back locally as needs arise, promote leadership training and development and act as a support system for all of Boone County. The remaining $150,000 in fundraising is a $1-to-$1 match for funds donated to operational funds.
Reagan said the organization has shifted over the past few years to an increased focus on quality of life.
“We recently awarded a grant to Zionsville Parks Foundation so they can give away free trees and do an educational component on why this is important,” she said. “It’s more than just providing for basic needs. There are those basic needs (such as) adult education. If people can go back to school and get their education, that can break generational cycles and that continues to help. But arts and culture are also a huge component of people wanting to spend money where they live. So, we can boost that.”
Reagan also said the community foundation can connect those who wish to donate to the right nonprofits.
“It’s neat to be able to support a lot of different areas,” she said. “I think that’s the difference. When people want to support something in Boone County, if they want to support one specific organization, then our job is to connect them with that organization. But if they want to help (a specific type of programming) within Boone County, then that’s where we can use our relationships to those funds where they are most needed.”
Lilly Endowment has awarded matching fund grants totaling $133.8 million to community foundations serving all 92 of Indiana’s counties. Eligible community foundations submitted proposals for the current grant cycle requesting grants ranging from $100,000 to $15 million based on the population of the counties they serve.
The foundation’s goal is to raise $825,000 by Dec. 31, 2025.
Donations can be made in person or at boonecounty.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list.
