Our Work

Our Legacy Vision:

The vision of Legacy Regional Community Foundation is to be intentional and boldly proactive in empowering our donors and cultivating collaboration with the nonprofit sector for a resilient and just region.

Our Legacy Mission:

The mission of Legacy Regional Community Foundation, as a leader in area philanthropy, is to enable anyone to GIVE to needs and opportunities in our communities, to GROW resources to preserve regional wealth and to GRANT funds for collaborative impact.  GIVE. GROW. GRANT. 


 


Adopted by LEGACY, A Regional Community Foundation board of directors June 20, 2024.

Under our umbrella are numerous funds—endowed or expendable—set up for the benefit of the local area.  Gifts that come to Legacy are from individuals, groups and businesses that want to invest in the future of this area. In addition to cash, Legacy Foundation accepts a variety of financial assets — from commodities and IRAs to insurance plans and securities — allowing donors to give in ways that are convenient for them.  At the time of the gift, donors tell us about how they would like the money to be spent, what interest, cause or organization they wish to benefit. Donors can give to specific organizations such as a library, hospital or non-profit or earmark their gift for general causes like education or healthcare.  

We get to know our donors and their philanthropic goals, documenting intentions and helping to identify the best solutions to ensure their charitable dreams live on forever.

Legacy Foundation establishes two types of funds—endowed or expendable.  Sometimes all that is needed is a safe and secure collector for community projects.  Expendable funds are a great fit for those situations!  If long-term sustainability is the goal, endowed funds are desired.  When a main gift is endowed, the principal is never spent, instead it is permanently invested to provide income earnings for its intended use.

Community foundations, such as Legacy Foundation, pool resources and leverage that “buying power” to earn investment income, enabling a gift to make a greater impact than it could on its own.  

Investments are overseen by the Legacy Investment Committee, a committee made up of local bankers, accountants and lawyers as well as interested community members.

Distributions (also called grants and scholarships) are made from the earnings off the investment through a Grants Committee consisting of Legacy Foundation board members and interested community leaders throughout the year. 


2019 At A Glance

Our Legacy Plan:

Looking to the future, Legacy’s strategic action plan is driving toward four priorities:

1.       Engage with Donors and Prospective Donors.  Donors that give a one-time gift, take advantage of our monthly giving options, establish a fund or include Legacy in their estate planning are all valuable to retaining regional wealth in our community and welcome in the stewardship plan as part of our Legacy Family.

2.       Expand awareness and understanding of the Foundation and its work.  By effectively telling the story of Legacy and philanthropy, we endeavor to grow the number and size of endowment funds to reach $20 million in assets by 2030, so the annual operating base is underwritten and unrestricted funds are available for proactive grantmaking.

3.       Strategically “close the gap” on vital issues in our regional communities.  This ongoing work includes serving as the "backbone" for Cowley ACTS and strengthening area nonprofit organizations, coalitions and charitable projects by providing leadership, training, financial support, and/or access to funding.

4.       Be connected with the community foundation field and the trends with major funders.  Utilizing data and growing our institutional knowledge while strengthening relationships with peers and major funders informs Legacy in strategically setting priorities in addressing identified and emerging issues.