For an organization that has distributed $80 million in charitable gifts since its inception 35 years ago, the Community Foundation of Southwest Indiana — as it will be called starting July 1 — doesn’t consider itself well-known. In fact, “what I’ve heard over and over is that we are the best-kept secret in town,” President and CEO Jill Carpenter says.
The foundation’s footprint covers nine Hoosier counties: Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey, Gibson, Daviess, Knox, Perry, Pike, and Spencer. Its roots date to 1991, after the Lilly Endowment launched its original GIFT (Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow) initiative to strengthen Indiana’s network of foundations. The Evansville-based entity long known as the Community Foundation Alliance was among those built and expanded during that statewide movement.
In 2025 alone, the foundation presented more than 1,400 grants totaling $10 million, boosting the work of nearly 800 organizations; those dedicated to education were the largest beneficiaries. Organizations focused on human services, arts and culture, health, youth development, and more also benefited.
The new name, Carpenter explains, better conveys the foundation’s mission. “As we were going through this growth and some strategic planning, we asked, ‘What is a better descriptor for us?’” she says. “We’ve already been working regionally, and community foundations are inherently place-based, but ‘alliance’ doesn’t say anything about where we are.”
CFSWI’s rebrand offers proof that “we are serving and working in the nine communities in Southwest Indiana, as we have for the last three decades,” Carpenter says. “We will still have local volunteers who will help guide our work in each of those communities.”
The foundation has dozens of individual funds and scholarships under its umbrella. Many support specific agencies, while others have less-restricted uses. The foundation’s role is to steward all endowed funds and honor the donor’s intent; a select few funds support organizations outside of the nine-county area.
The growth Carpenter referred to reflects upward trends throughout the nine counties in giving, as well as in requests for dollars. As foundation officials decide where to steer their resources, four core priorities offer a roadmap:
• Vibrant & Resilient Communities: investing in spaces and experiences that make communities more livable, inclusive, and connected
• Foundations for Economic Mobility: ensuring that families have access to building blocks of success, such as housing, child care, and education
• Community Health & Well-Being: supporting prevention, care, and holistic wellness for healthier individuals and stronger communities
• Regional Collaboration & Alignment: bringing communities, sectors, and organizations together to meet challenges
There isn’t an open application process for nonprofit agencies to seek foundation support with unrestricted funds for fiscal year 2027, which begins in July 2026. But officials say they are doing a lot of listening: Needs assessments are taking place in all nine Southwestern Indiana counties.
“The board and this organization have worked really hard on strategic planning for the future, and understanding and hearing what the community has to say as we deploy dollars into local communities,” says Chief Development Officer Aimee Stachura.
Foundation officials say their processes take into account how community needs can shift. Emergencies come up, too — officials say COVID-19 was a prime example of that, as well as a situation where regional collaboration was critical. Carpenter explains that the 2020 pandemic showed the foundation’s ability to be “nimble.”
“We were able to grant more than $1 million during the pandemic,” she says. “We participated in the COVID-19 Crisis Response Fund of the Greater Evansville Region and provided rapid relief funding across all our communities. We were able to get grant dollars out the door within a 72-hour time period.”
Endowed philanthropy packs power, foundation officials say. Through Rooted in Community — the foundation’s 2:1 matching campaign — every dollar contributed to an unrestricted endowment fund is matched with two additional dollars, tripling the resources available to meet evolving community needs for generations to come.
“When someone makes a fund, they’re not just creating a gift,” says Escalade Sports President and CEO Patrick Griffin, a foundation board member and its incoming chair, as well as a donor. “They’re creating something that will continue working long after they’re gone.”
Although it considers itself a well-kept secret, it’s also true that the foundation does much of its work quietly, communicating with individuals and entities about how to build legacies. “A lot of my work is helping our donors give in ways that are meaningful to them but also sustainable for the community in the long term,” says Stachura, who was CEO of the Girl Scouts of Southwest Indiana for nearly a decade before joining the foundation in July 2025. “One thing that makes the Community Foundation unique is that we work with endowments. That means it’s a permanent resource. When someone gives to an endowment through the
Community Foundation, their gift is invested permanently, and each year a portion of those earnings goes toward grants and scholarships within their community.”
The foundation forms “deep-rooted relationships” with donors, Carpenter adds. “They are setting up funds that last forever, and we have an obligation to ensure that every dollar we’ve been given is being stewarded during their lifetime and well beyond it.”
Carpenter, who has been with the foundation for 15 years, mentioned Warrick County’s Sanctuary on the Hill — an outreach offering services to veterans and their families — and a trails expansion project in Pike County as two recent examples of initiatives that have major foundation support. But she notes that foundation-funded endeavors often cross county lines, as the rebrand to Community Foundation of Southwest Indiana strives to make clear.
“No community grows in isolation,” Carpenter says. “When we align resources and partnerships, we can create opportunities that benefit everyone.”
