Strengthening La Porte County For Over 30 Years

Strengthening La Porte County For Over 30 Years

When we formed in 1992, we only dreamed about the potential of a community foundation that would serve the county. That potential is starting to build. Since 1992, we’ve grown to more than $44 million. Because it’s permanent, those funds will be given to the community over and over again. The miracle of endowment. For good, forever.

What is a Community Foundation?

  • A community foundation is an organization created by and for the people in a local area. Its core purpose is to help you help others.

  • We are a very long-sighted organization. We are distinguished by our mission to be in La Porte County forever and to manage donors’ charitable wishes, as well as utilize financial resources to meet La Porte County’s needs and opportunities as those needs change over time.

  • The beauty of our Community Foundation is in the diversity of our donor base. People of modest means stand side by side with those of great wealth to form a community philanthropic foundation that is strong and deep beyond measure. Anyone can be a philanthropist! The Community Foundation provides numerous giving options, all of which make an impact, no matter the size of gift!

  • Our organization provides donors with flexible, efficient, and tax effective ways to ensure their charitable giving achieves the greatest possible impact.

What is a Community Foundation?

  • A community foundation is an organization created by and for the people in a local area. Its core purpose is to help you help others.

  • We are a very long-sighted organization. We are distinguished by our mission to be in La Porte County forever and to manage donors’ charitable wishes, as well as utilize financial resources to meet La Porte County’s needs and opportunities as those needs change over time.

  • The beauty of our Community Foundation is in the diversity of our donor base. People of modest means stand side by side with those of great wealth to form a community philanthropic foundation that is strong and deep beyond measure. Anyone can be a philanthropist! The Community Foundation provides numerous giving options, all of which make an impact, no matter the size of gift!

  • Our organization provides donors with flexible, efficient, and tax effective ways to ensure their charitable giving achieves the greatest possible impact.

What is a Community Foundation?

  • A community foundation is an organization created by and for the people in a local area. Its core purpose is to help you help others.

  • We are a very long-sighted organization. We are distinguished by our mission to be in La Porte County forever and to manage donors’ charitable wishes, as well as utilize financial resources to meet La Porte County’s needs and opportunities as those needs change over time.

  • The beauty of our Community Foundation is in the diversity of our donor base. People of modest means stand side by side with those of great wealth to form a community philanthropic foundation that is strong and deep beyond measure. Anyone can be a philanthropist! The Community Foundation provides numerous giving options, all of which make an impact, no matter the size of gift!

  • Our organization provides donors with flexible, efficient, and tax effective ways to ensure their charitable giving achieves the greatest possible impact.

Our Mission & Vision For La Porte County

We believe that people of diverse backgrounds and circumstances can join together in accomplishing the mission of Unity Foundation, which is important to the future of La Porte County and Northwest Indiana. To make La Porte County and Northwest Indiana a better place for all, we will continue to respect people whose circumstances or characteristics are different from each other. We shall be a ‘power for good’ in our communities by addressing the areas of education, health and human services, arts and culture, and the environment.

The Values That Guide & Inspire Our Work Now & For the Future

  • Leadership & Vision

    We strive to continually sharpen our vision of a better life for all in our community and to provide the leadership to make it happen.

  • Integrity & Responsibility

    We are dedicated to building and holding the trust of the community through independent governance, objectivity, and honesty.

  • Permanence

    We are committed to building a permanent endowment so we may address today’s needs, while confident our successors can also address the needs of future generations.

  • Education

    We strive to educate our community on the value and methods of giving to create a culture of philanthropy to sustain a vibrant, healthy, caring community.

  • Inclusiveness & Accessibility

    We seek diverse perspectives when identifying community needs and finding ways to address them.

  • Collaboration & Partnering

    We believe the greatest possible good from our efforts will arise from closely cooperating with everyone committed to the improvement of our community.

Community Betterment

Unity Foundation is committed to strengthening La Porte County now and forever. One way to do that is through community betterment projects. We are fully committed to the projects we take on because we believe in the positive impact they will have in La Porte County. Explore some of our projects and see how you can help us be “a power for good.”

Frequently Asked Questions

A community foundation is a charitable organization.

A community foundation gives grants and scholarships to the local community, it helps donors establish long-term charitable giving plans, and it works with local organizations to support their service of helping individuals in our community.

Yes, all you need to know is what organization or what area of interest you want to donate to. All donations are welcome and help charities with long-term resources. You can give to several charities at one time or you can give to the unrestricted fund which assists all organizations in the county.

Caring individuals, families, and organizations (at many income levels) add money to existing funds or create their own fund. We invest the funds and each year we are able to distribute a percentage pay-out to them.

A community foundation has several types of funds; the most common funds are Designated, Donor Advised, Scholarship and Field of Interest. Most community foundations also have an “unrestricted fund” that generates grants for the geographic area they represent and allow the community foundation the flexibility to meet needs as those needs change over time.

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Nonprofit organizations would establish a fund when they seek a long-term source of income.

Donors establish funds to make grants to their favorite organizations long-term.