Chautauqua Region Community Foundation

What Chautauqua Region Community Foundation does

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation (CRCF) is a community foundation established in 1978 and headquartered in Jamestown, New York, that manages $148 million in total assets across 786 endowment funds and has delivered $78 million in cumulative community impact. The foundation serves Chautauqua County, New York, providing philanthropic vehicles and grantmaking services to individual donors, families, nonprofit organizations, and scholarship recipients. Its core offerings include Donor Advised Funds, Scholarship Funds, Endowment Funds, Charitable Gift Annuities, Planned Giving services, Field of Interest Funds, the Women's Giving Circle, and the Fund for the Region.

CRCF's signature platform is Give Big CHQ, an annual 24-hour community-wide giving day that has mobilized over $2 million since 2018 across 140+ participating nonprofits. The 2024 edition raised more than $390,000 from 2,500 donors through 3,900 donations supporting 135 nonprofits; the 2025 edition raised $374,000+ from 2,400+ donors through nearly 3,800 gifts supporting 127 nonprofits. The foundation also operates the Women's Giving Circle (launched June 2024, nearly 100 members) and runs the Rural Philanthropy Fellowship in partnership with the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. Recent additions include a Community Heart & Soul partnership (announced April 2026), a JHS 100 Member Club partnership (2026), and the newly established Diane L. Benson Memorial Scholarship (2026).

The foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its revenue model is built on charitable contributions, endowment management fees, and pass-through grantmaking rather than commercial pricing; there are no disclosed technology platforms or AI capabilities. The organization is led by Executive Director Tory Irgang, with a small staff team that includes Elizabeth Jones (Community Impact Officer), Tina Downey (Development Officer, hired 2025), and Lindsey Goold (Donor Services Officer, hired 2025), following the March 2025 retirement of Lisa Lynde.

Name

Chautauqua Region Community Foundation

Legal name

Chautauqua Region Community Foundation

Website

https://crcfonline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation is a Jamestown, NY-based community foundation founded in 1978, managing $148M across 786 endowment funds and serving Chautauqua County through grantmaking, scholarships, donor-advised funds, and the annual Give Big CHQ giving day.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Jamestown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Receives donations from individuals, families, and organizations to establish and grow endowment funds. Donors contribute assets including cash, appreciated stock, and other property to support charitable causes.
2. Endowment Fund Management: Manages over 786 endowment funds for donors. Funds are invested and generate returns that support ongoing grantmaking and scholarship distributions.
3. Charitable Gift Annuities: Administers charitable gift annuity program since 2006. Donors transfer assets in exchange for lifetime income stream; remaining assets become permanent endowment upon death.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CRCF is a nonprofit community foundation that accepts and manages charitable donations, administers endowment funds, awards scholarships to local students, and distributes grants to nonprofit organizations serving Chautauqua County, NY. It offers donor-advised funds, charitable gift annuities, planned giving services, and field of interest funds alongside an annual 24-hour community giving day called Give Big CHQ.

Product overview

Chautauqua Region Community Foundation operates as a single unified charitable organization offering a portfolio of philanthropic products and services. The core offerings include Donor Advised Funds for flexible charitable giving, Scholarship Funds supporting local students, and Endowment Funds providing permanent community support. Additional services include Charitable Gift Annuities for planned giving, Field of Interest Funds targeting geographic or subject-specific needs, and the Women's Giving Circle for collaborative philanthropy. The organization also runs Give Big CHQ, an annual 24-hour online giving day, and the Fund for the Region for flexible grantmaking. Together, these products enable donors to establish charitable legacies while supporting community needs across Chautauqua County.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Give Big CHQ: Annual 24-hour online day of giving event for nonprofits in Chautauqua County
• Women's Giving Circle of Chautauqua County

Products and services

• Donor Advised Funds Charitable giving vehicles that allow donors to contribute assets and recommend grants to qualified nonprofits over time, offering flexibility, tax advantages, and ongoing donor involvement. Targeted at individual donors and families seeking to establish charitable legacies.
• Scholarship Funds Endowed funds that provide financial assistance to students pursuing higher education, including memorial scholarships, field-specific scholarships, and institutional scholarships. Targeted at students in Chautauqua County pursuing higher education, trade schools, or specialized programs.
• Endowment Funds Permanent charitable funds established to support emerging community needs, charitable organizations, and local students in perpetuity through managed investment and annual distributions. The foundation administers over 786 endowment funds.
• Charitable Gift Annuities Charitable planning tool where donors transfer assets to the foundation in exchange for a lifetime income stream and partial tax deduction, with remaining assets retained by the foundation upon death. Available for donors age 70½ and older.
• Give Big CHQ Annual 24-hour online giving day that unites Chautauqua County residents to support local nonprofits through coordinated fundraising campaigns at givebigchq.org. Since 2018, the event has raised over $2 million for 140+ participating nonprofits.
• Field of Interest Funds Geographic or subject-specific endowment funds that direct grants to address critical community needs in designated areas such as Falconer, Randolph, or specific focus areas like urban forestry. Targeted at communities within Chautauqua County.
• Women's Giving Circle Collective giving initiative bringing together women philanthropists to make collaborative grantmaking decisions supporting women and children in Chautauqua County. Launched in June 2024 with nearly 100 founding members.
• Planned Giving Estate planning and legacy giving services that help donors create lasting charitable legacies through bequests, beneficiary designations, and charitable planning strategies. Targeted at individual donors and families undertaking estate planning.
• Fund for the Region Flexible grantmaking fund supporting emerging community needs, nonprofit organizations, and charitable initiatives across Chautauqua County. Targeted at local nonprofits, charities, and community organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• $78 million in community impact distributed through grants and scholarships
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Community Heart & SoulcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 April 2026Partnership to strengthen communities across Chautauqua Region by expanding access to resident-driven community engagement approach. Combines CRCF's local relationships and resources with Community Heart & Soul's model for engaging entire populations in identifying community priorities.
• CCB (Prize Sponsor)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrize sponsor for Give Big CHQ 2026, providing incentives for nonprofits during the 24-hour giving day.
• Courier CapitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrize sponsor for Give Big CHQ 2026, providing incentives for nonprofits during the 24-hour giving day.
• Northwest BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrize sponsor for Give Big CHQ 2026, providing incentives for nonprofits during the 24-hour giving day.
• Chautauqua County Humane SocietyminorOthersGrantee partner receiving support for $7 million capital campaign to expand and renovate animal shelter.
• Jamestown Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution for Aaron Perez Media Arts Award Fund, selecting recipients for the scholarship supporting media arts education.
• Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative CareminorOthersNonprofit receiving grants including support for Star Hospice House construction, Chautauqua County's first dedicated hospice facility.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes: Upstate New York community foundation serving a similar rural/small-city region in the Southern Tier. Comparable in scale, donor base profile, and product mix to CRCF, with direct parallels in serving a regional area with limited metropolitan density.
• Rochester Area Community Foundation: New York State community foundation offering the same core products (donor-advised funds, scholarship funds, endowment management, planned giving) and serving a similar upstate New York market. Highly comparable operating model and community foundation accreditation.
• Central New York Community Foundation: Syracuse-based community foundation operating under the same New York State nonprofit framework with an overlapping set of products (DAFs, scholarships, charitable gift annuities, Field of Interest Funds). Comparable scale and rural-urban service area mix.
• The Dayton Foundation: Mid-size accredited community foundation with comparable AUM scale and full product suite (DAFs, scholarship funds, endowment funds, planned giving services). Shares a similar mid-size regional community foundation operating profile in a non-major-metro market.
• Parkersburg Area Community Foundation: Rural community foundation serving the Mid-Ohio Valley with a similar product suite (DAFs, scholarship funds, Field of Interest Funds). Closely comparable in geographic scope, donor concentration, and endowment scale for a non-urban service area.
• Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County: Single-county community foundation with comparable AUM scale and product mix, serving a similar rural/small-city community in the Midwest. Strongly comparable in operational footprint, donor stewardship approach, and grantmaking model.
• Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo: Large regional community foundation in Western New York, sharing CRCF's New York State operating environment, donor-advised fund model, and grantmaking for the Buffalo-Niagara region. Directly comparable business model with broader geographic reach but similar product mix (DAFs, scholarships, planned giving).
• Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation: Direct geographic peer serving the northern portion of Chautauqua County. Explicitly identified in CRCF's own partnerships as a collaborating foundation through the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Rural Philanthropy Fellowship, sharing the same rural New York community foundation operating model and donor base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xfacebook.com/GiveBigCHQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/CRCFOnline
• Instagraminstagram.com/givebigchq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chautauqua-region-community-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Chautauqua Region Community Foundation