During a global pandemic filled with uncertainty and unprecedented social isolation among family, friends and neighbors, the people of our community joined together like never before to build a brighter tomorrow.

We demonstrated that we truly are better together.

When crisis struck in March 2020, the Community Foundation took swift action by partnering with United Way of Central Illinois and community volunteers to establish the COVID-19 Response Fund. More than $900,000 was raised and granted to 85 community-based organizations working at the frontlines of the pandemic.

All the while, the Community Foundation experienced a tidal wave of philanthropic giving from locally-minded individuals intent on safeguarding the causes they care about most. Our total assets grew to more than $50 million thanks to your charitable giving, and with nearly 250 charitable funds established, we surpassed $4 million in annual grantmaking for the first time in our history.

Keeping an eye on the future, we launched The Next 10 – a robust community engagement effort, envisioned prior to the pandemic, to define how we take bold steps together to help the Greater Springfield Area reach its full potential. Local citizens rallied to submit, vet and prioritize hundreds of ideas that touch every part of our community, and resources continue to be aligned to help bring The Next 10 projects to fruition.

As I flip through the pages of this annual report, I can’t help but be inspired by the generosity of so many others who are galvanizing positive change for the community. On behalf of the board of directors and staff of the Community Foundation, thank you for your support and involvement over the past year and for stepping up when your community needed it most.