Community Foundation

What Community Foundation does

The Community Foundation of the Quincy Area (CFQA), founded in 1997 and headquartered at 621 Vermont Street in Quincy, Illinois, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community foundation (EIN 37-1366611) serving 12 counties across western Illinois and northeastern Missouri — Adams, Brown, Hancock, and Pike (IL); Clark, Knox, Lewis, Marion, Monroe, Pike, Ralls, and Shelby (MO). The organization functions as an endowment builder, community connector, and grantmaker, managing 250+ charitable funds and supporting 750+ grantee organizations with $39 million+ in cumulative grants distributed. Core products and services include Donor Advised Funds, Agency Funds for nonprofit endowment management, County Endowments in each service county, competitive Community Grants ($1,000–$7,500 per award), multi-fund scholarship programs, and the TAG (Teens Active in Grantmaking) youth philanthropy program. Specialized giving vehicles encompass IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, Gifts of Grain and Farmland, and the Illinois Gives Tax Credit program (25% state income tax credit).

The foundation's technology stack comprises a donor portal (FCSuite ERP), a fund management system, a grant application interface (GrantInterface), and a Nonprofit Board Member Database that connects trained board candidates with local 501(c)(3) organizations. Revenue derives from three streams: charitable contributions (cash, securities, grain, farmland, IRA distributions), investment earnings on professionally managed endowed funds distributed at up to 5% annually under the foundation's spending policy, and administrative fees that vary by fund type. Distribution is achieved through county fund councils in each service county, a professional advisor network delivering MCLE and CTFA continuing education seminars, community events (Community Grant Reception, Friends of Philanthropy, Professional Advisor Luncheons, Tri-State Fundraising Summit), and the Quincy Area Funders Collaborative coalition with Tracy Family Foundation, John Wood Community College Foundation, Moorman Foundation, and United Way.

Operations are supported by a six-person professional staff — CEO Catherine Meckes (since 2019), CFO Jon O'Neal, Program Officer Kent Embree (since March 2022), Program Manager Bailee Duesterhaus, Development Officer Emily Moore, and Office Manager Gretchen Wolfmeyer (since April 2026) — under a volunteer Board of Directors. The foundation holds Community Foundations National Standards Accreditation and Qualified Community Foundation status in Illinois, and is a member of the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations and the Alliance of Missouri Community Foundations.

Name

Community Foundation

Legal name

Community Foundation of the Quincy Area

Website

https://mycommunityfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Community Foundation of the Quincy Area is a 501(c)(3) community foundation managing 250+ charitable funds and distributing grants across 12 counties in western Illinois and northeastern Missouri, serving individual donors, nonprofits, professional advisors, and students through donor-advised funds, endowments, scholarships, and grantmaking programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Charitable endowment management
• Donor advised funds
• Grantmaking programs
• Scholarship administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Quincy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Charitable Contributions: The foundation receives donations from individuals, families, corporations, and organizations to establish charitable funds. Donors can contribute cash, securities, grain, farmland, IRA distributions, and other assets.
2. Investment Earnings: Endowed funds are professionally invested and generate earnings that support grantmaking. The foundation distributes up to 5% of the fund value annually through its spending rate.
3. Administrative Fees: Administrative fees vary by fund type for managing and stewarding charitable endowments.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Community Foundation of the Quincy Area is a 501(c)(3) community foundation that builds, invests, and grants charitable endowments on behalf of donors and the 12-county region in western Illinois and northeast Missouri. It offers Donor Advised Funds, Agency Funds, County Endowments, competitive Community Grants, Scholarship Programs, the TAG youth philanthropy program, the Illinois Gives Tax Credit program, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, Gifts of Grain & Farmland, Professional Advisor seminars, and a Nonprofit Board Member Database to connect nonprofits with trained board candidates.

Product overview

The Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois & Northeast Missouri operates as a philanthropic services organization offering a comprehensive suite of charitable giving programs and grantmaking services. The organization functions as a platform-plus-services model, combining its core endowment building and grantmaking capabilities with specialized programs including competitive Community Grants (ranging $1,000-$7,500), Scholarship Programs for students across multiple counties and fields, and TAG (Teens Active in Grantmaking) for youth philanthropy education. The product portfolio centers on Donor Advised Funds, Agency Funds for nonprofit endowment management, and County Endowments for each of its 12 service counties. Additional offerings include the Illinois Gives Tax Credit program (25% state tax credit), IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, Gifts of Grain & Farmland programs, Professional Advisor Services with continuing education credits, a Nonprofit Board Member Database for leadership recruitment, and the Quincy Area Funders Collaborative with its Nonprofit Excellence Initiative cohort program. The organization connects donors to causes through multiple fund types and grant programs targeting arts, culture, community betterment, education, health, and human services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TAG (Teens Active in Grantmaking): A youth philanthropy program that puts the power of philanthropy in the hands of the next generation, teaching high school students about grantmaking, community leadership, and civic engagement.

Products and services

• Community Grants Competitive grant program offering $1,000-$7,500 grants to 501(c)(3) organizations and government entities serving the 12-county region, supporting arts, culture, community betterment, education, health, and human services.
• Scholarship Programs Annual scholarship program offering multiple scholarship funds for high school and college students across the service area, with specific funds for different counties, schools, and fields of study including agriculture, education, trades, and nursing.
• TAG (Teens Active in Grantmaking) Youth philanthropy program where high school students in Quincy learn grantmaking, review applications, evaluate community impact, and make funding decisions for youth-focused projects up to $2,500.
• Donor Advised Funds Charitable giving vehicle allowing donors to streamline and organize giving for maximum impact, providing professional grantmaking expertise and tax advantages relative to private foundations.
• Agency Funds Endowment management service for nonprofit organizations providing professional investment expertise, gift acceptance, and administrative support to help nonprofits grow their endowments.
• County Endowments Permanently endowed charitable funds established in each of the 12 counties served (Adams, Brown, Hancock, Pike in IL; Clark, Knox, Lewis, Marion, Monroe, Pike, Ralls, Shelby in MO) to retain local assets for community betterment, with local volunteer fund councils guiding grantmaking.
• Illinois Gives Tax Credit State tax credit program offering a 25% Illinois income tax credit for new charitable gifts made to Community Foundation endowment funds that benefit Illinois causes, available through the foundation's Qualified Community Foundation status.
• IRA Giving (Qualified Charitable Distributions) Giving option for donors age 70½ or older to transfer up to $111,000 annually from IRAs directly to charity, satisfying RMD obligations without increasing taxable income.
• Gifts of Grain & Farmland Agricultural asset giving programs including Gifts of Grain (tax-advantaged donations of grain) and Farmland for Good (flexible charitable gift structuring for farmland owners).
• Professional Advisor Services Educational seminars and resources for financial advisors, estate planners, attorneys, and accountants, including MCLE and CTFA credits, covering philanthropic planning for high net worth clients and complex asset donations.
• Nonprofit Board Member Database Database connecting nonprofits with trained board member candidates who have completed Nonprofit Board Member Training through John Wood Community College.
• Quincy Area Funders Collaborative (QAFC) Coalition of funders including Tracy Family Foundation, John Wood Community College Foundation, Moorman Foundation, and United Way strengthening the nonprofit sector through leadership development and strategic investment in the Adams County and greater Quincy area.
• Nonprofit Excellence Initiative (NEI) Two-year leadership and organizational development program under the QAFC providing customized support, executive coaching, strategic planning, and $10,000 unrestricted funding to nonprofit organizations.
• AgForward Program Grant program supporting agricultural education with requests up to $5,000 and $30,000 total available in 2026 for production agriculture education and innovation.
• Communityworks Endowment Fund Grant program advancing workforce development, childcare, and early childhood education in Adams, Brown, Hancock, and Pike Counties, Illinois.
• Samantha Otte Youth Opportunity Fund Annual fund distributing nearly $50,000 to support youth in artistic, leadership, and humanitarian efforts, honoring the legacy of Samantha Otte.
• Book of Opportunities Annual catalog of nonprofit funding requests distributed to Donor Advisors and available publicly, featuring grant applications from eligible organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Distributed over $39 million in grants through 250+ funds to 750+ grantees across 12 counties
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Quincy Area Funders CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of funders committed to strengthening the nonprofit sector in Adams County and greater Quincy area. Members include Tracy Family Foundation, John Wood Community College Foundation, Moorman Foundation, and United Way of Adams County. Operates the Nonprofit Excellence Initiative providing leadership development and $10,000 unrestricted grants to participating nonprofits.
• Tracy Family FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic initiative partner that identified the need to strengthen nonprofit board leadership. Provided funding and leadership for the Nonprofit Board Member Database initiative in collaboration with John Wood Community College. Established in 1997 to advance innovative, collaborative, and sustainable change in Brown County, Illinois and surrounding region.
• John Wood Community CollegecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in developing the Nonprofit Board Member Training program that prepares high-quality board member candidates. Course covers understanding nonprofits, community leadership, board member roles and responsibilities, board effectiveness, and community contribution.
• TI-TrustminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-host of the annual Friends of Philanthropy celebration recognizing donors and community supporters.
• Alliance of Illinois Community FoundationsminorOthersStatewide association of Illinois community foundations providing peer support, best practices, and collective advocacy.
• Alliance of Missouri Community FoundationsminorOthersStatewide association of Missouri community foundations providing peer support and collective representation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves17 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Chicago Community Trust: The largest community foundation in Illinois, operating donor-advised funds, competitive grantmaking, and policy/leadership initiatives across the Chicago region. Overlaps with the subject foundation's donor base within Illinois and competes for statewide advisor referrals.
• Fidelity Charitable: The largest national donor-advised fund sponsor, offering an online giving platform, investment options, and grantmaking infrastructure. Competes with community foundations for donor-advised fund dollars, particularly among tech-forward HNW donors.
• Schwab Charitable: Major national donor-advised fund sponsor affiliated with Charles Schwab, competing directly with community foundations for charitable assets via DAFs, particularly for investors with brokerage relationships.

Direct peers

• Illinois Prairie Community Foundation: Community foundation serving east-central Illinois with donor services, grantmaking, and scholarship programs. Directly comparable as an Illinois-based community foundation operating a similar donor-advised fund and county/regional grantmaking model.
• Quad Cities Community Foundation: Community foundation serving the Iowa/Illinois Quad Cities region with endowed funds, competitive grants, and donor-advised fund services. Comparable in function and bi-state regional orientation, though serving a larger urban-adjacent service area.
• The Dayton Foundation: Mid-size Midwest community foundation operating donor-advised funds, competitive grantmaking, and county/regional affiliate funds. Comparable in core operating model and regional community-foundation structure, though larger in scale.
• Decatur County Community Foundation: Small, rural Midwest community foundation managing endowed funds, scholarships, and grants for a single-county region. Highly comparable in scale, rural donor base, and reliance on agricultural-community wealth.
• Community Foundation of Central Illinois: Regional community foundation serving central Illinois with a comparable model of donor-advised funds, competitive grantmaking, and scholarship programs. Highly comparable in mission, scope, and operating approach to the Quincy Area foundation.

Regional players

• St. Louis Community Foundation: Missouri-headquartered community foundation with donor-advised funds, endowed funds, and regional grantmaking. Comparable in function but serves a substantially larger and more urban service area in Missouri.
• Greater Kansas City Community Foundation: Large Missouri-based community foundation offering donor-advised funds, grantmaking, and scholarship programs. Operates in the same state as the subject foundation (Missouri counties served) and competes for similar donor pools in the broader region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mycommunityfoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/teensactiveingrantmaking

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Foundation