Illinois Prairie Community Foundation

What Illinois Prairie Community Foundation does

Illinois Prairie Community Foundation (IPCF) is a 501(c)(3) community foundation established in 1998 and headquartered at 915 E. Washington St., Bloomington, Illinois. The foundation operates across four Central Illinois counties—McLean, DeWitt, Livingston, and Logan—connecting individual donors with charitable causes through a portfolio of fund types including Donor-Advised Funds, Agency Funds, Catalyst Funds, Designated Funds, Field of Interest Funds, and Scholarship Funds. IPCF also serves as a fiscal sponsor for emerging nonprofit projects and administers two community giving circles: Women to Women (founded 2009, with cumulative grants exceeding $650,000) and Youth Engaged in Philanthropy. The foundation's donor and grantee base spans individual donors and families, local 501(c)(3) nonprofits, government agencies, schools, religious organizations, students seeking scholarship support, and corporate Community Partners organized across Diamond, Platinum, and Gold tiers.

IPCF's "platform" is its fund-management and grantmaking infrastructure rather than a technology product. The foundation uses an FC Suite online donation portal, a Fund Advisor Portal, and a Grant Interface scholarship portal alongside traditional donation channels including ACH, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, and mailed checks. In 2026 the foundation is operating multiple competitive grant cycles: a spring round awarding roughly $215,000 across 97 of 123 received applications through General, Mirza Arts & Culture, Sol Shulman Jewish Life & Education, Williams Music Education, and Redbird Impact Philanthropy Leaders programs; a fall round covering Environment & Nature grants; a Women to Women Giving Circle round; and a YEP youth-led round. Documented 2026 grant outflows include $226,284 to 106 programs in April and $101,830 to 22 programs in January.

The foundation's revenue model is donation-based, drawing on charitable contributions, endowment management, and an annual campaign; no fees are publicly disclosed for basic charitable services. In 2025 IPCF earned Community Foundations National Standards Accreditation and the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency. Leadership comprises President & CEO Erik Rankin, Vice President (Programs) Michele Evans, and Board Chair Josh Barnett. The foundation maintains a tiered Community Partner program with organizations including Northern Trust, Heartland Bank & Trust, Meyer Capel, Illinois State University, the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council, and local media outlets WGLT and The Pantagraph.

Name

Illinois Prairie Community Foundation

Legal name

Illinois Prairie Community Foundation

Website

https://ilprairiecf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Illinois Prairie Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation serving McLean, DeWitt, Livingston, and Logan counties in Central Illinois, connecting individual donors with charitable causes through donor-advised funds, agency funds, scholarships, and competitive grant cycles to local nonprofits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Charitable fund management
• Donor-advised funds
• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Nonprofit endowment management

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomington

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions and Fund Management: The foundation receives charitable contributions from donors who establish various fund types including donor-advised funds, agency funds, designated funds, field of interest funds, and scholarship funds. Donors can contribute cash, appreciated stock, real estate, and other noncash assets. The foundation manages these funds and facilitates grantmaking to local nonprofits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Illinois Prairie Community Foundation connects individual and corporate donors with charitable causes across McLean, DeWitt, Livingston, and Logan counties through a suite of fund products (donor-advised, agency, designated, field of interest, scholarship, catalyst). It stewards those funds and distributes resources back to the community via seasonal competitive grant cycles (Spring and Fall), the Women to Women and Youth Engaged in Philanthropy (YEP) giving circles, and fiscal sponsorship of emerging nonprofit projects.

Product overview

Illinois Prairie Community Foundation (IPCF) operates as a community foundation that connects donors with charitable causes across McLean, DeWitt, Livingston, and Logan counties in Illinois. The organization offers a platform of fund management products including Donor-Advised Funds, Agency Funds, Catalyst Funds, Designated Funds, Field of Interest Funds, and Scholarship Funds. IPCF provides online platforms including a Donation Portal (fcsuite.com), Fund Advisor Portal, and Scholarship Portal for donor and grantee engagement. The foundation administers multiple grant programs including General Grants, Arts & Culture Grants (Mirza/IPCF), Jewish Life & Education Grants (Sol Shulman), Music Education Grants (David and Kay Williams), Environment & Nature Grants, and the newly launched Redbird Impact Philanthropy Leaders (RIPL) Grant. Additionally, IPCF hosts two giving circles: Women to Women Giving Circle (founded 2009) and Youth Engaged in Philanthropy (YEP), which engage community members in collective grantmaking. The organization has received National Standards accreditation for philanthropic excellence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Women to Women Giving Circle: Giving circle focused on issues affecting women and children, awarding grants to programs serving women and their families in McLean, DeWitt, Livingston and Logan counties.
• Youth Engaged in Philanthropy (YEP)

Products and services

• Donor-Advised Fund A flexible charitable savings account allowing donors to contribute assets, receive immediate tax deductions, and recommend grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofits over time. Supports noncash assets including appreciated stock, closely held business interests, and real estate.
• Agency Fund A fund type where another nonprofit organization establishes a fund at IPCF to benefit its own charitable programs, providing professional investment management and administrative oversight.
• Catalyst Fund A fund designed to support emerging community needs and innovative charitable initiatives with flexible grantmaking capabilities.
• Designated Fund A fund that supports one or more specific charitable organizations designated by the donor, ensuring ongoing support for preferred nonprofits.
• Field of Interest Fund A fund that supports a particular field of interest (such as education, arts, environment) rather than specific organizations, allowing IPCF to direct grants to where community needs are greatest.
• Scholarship Fund A fund established to provide financial assistance to students for educational purposes, with donor-specified criteria for recipients.
• Online Donation Portal A secure online platform (fcsuite.com) enabling donors to make online donations to IPCF and search for specific funds to direct their gifts.
• Fund Advisor Portal An online portal for fund advisors to manage their donor-advised funds, recommend grants, and access account information.
• Scholarship Portal An online application portal for students to apply for scholarships administered through IPCF's scholarship funds.
• Women to Women Giving Circle A philanthropic giving circle founded in 2009 that educates women about challenges facing local women and children and awards grants to programs serving women and their children facing insecurities in housing, food, transportation, and childcare.
• Youth Engaged in Philanthropy (YEP) A youth giving circle program where area high school students learn about philanthropy and award grants to youth-focused programs, with priority given to organizations that include youth in the application process.
• General Grants Program Competitive grants open to programs focusing on education, health and wellness, and youth serving McLean, DeWitt, Livingston, or Logan counties.
• Mirza/IPCF Arts & Culture Grants Grants for programs focusing on performing or visual arts, music education, and/or arts education and enrichment.
• Sol Shulman Jewish Life & Education Grants Grants for programs focusing on Jewish-themed educational, arts and cultural enrichment programs open to all.
• David and Kay Williams Music Education Grant A grant in its ninth year supporting creative music education experiences, using the Mirza/Arts & Culture Grant application.
• Environment & Nature Grants Grants for programs focused on the environment and nature, including pollution or toxics reduction, clean and renewable energy, biodiversity and habitat improvement, resource conservation, and environmental justice.
• Redbird Impact Philanthropy Leaders (RIPL) Grant A grant cocreated with Illinois State University's Center for Civic Engagement that funds civic engagement-focused programs and supports undergraduate students in exploring the nonprofit sector through grantmaking.
• Women to Women Giving Circle Grants Grants of up to $60,000 awarded to programs serving women and their children facing insecurities in housing, food, transportation and/or childcare.

Quantifiable outcome

• Awarded $226,284 to 106 programs in April 2026
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered community partner - diamond level, community partner - platinum level, community partner - gold level, community partner, key strategic partner, accreditation and environmental partner.

• The Drake Zimmerman Groupcommunity partner - diamond levelGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Drake Zimmerman Group serves as a Diamond Level Community Partner for IPCF, providing financial and marketing support for foundation initiatives.
• Heartland Bank & Trustcommunity partner - platinum levelGTM or Marketing PartnerHeartland Bank & Trust is a Platinum Level Community Partner supporting IPCF's charitable mission in Central Illinois.
• Meyer Capelcommunity partner - platinum levelGTM or Marketing PartnerMeyer Capel serves as a Platinum Level Community Partner for IPCF.
• Onward Injury Lawcommunity partner - gold levelGTM or Marketing PartnerOnward Injury Law is a Gold Level Community Partner supporting IPCF.
• WGLTcommunity partner - gold levelGTM or Marketing PartnerWGLT, a local public media station, is a Gold Level Community Partner providing media support for IPCF initiatives.
• Illinois Farm Bureaucommunity partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerIllinois Farm Bureau serves as a Community Partner supporting agricultural and rural community philanthropy.
• First Mid Wealth Managementcommunity partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerFirst Mid Wealth Management supports IPCF as a Community Partner.
• Illinois State University - Center for Civic Engagementkey strategic partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerISU's Center for Civic Engagement co-created the Redbird Impact Philanthropy Leaders (RIPL) Grant with IPCF, supporting undergraduate students in exploring the nonprofit sector through grantmaking.
• Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Councilcommunity partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EDC partners with IPCF on nonprofit workshops and provides data assessment tools for area nonprofits.
• CandidaccreditationOthersCandid provides transparency and impact information services; IPCF holds Candid's Platinum Seal for nonprofit transparency.
• Illinois Prairie chapter of Wild Onesenvironmental partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Bloomington Public Library on Prairie on the Patio native plant garden project.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Champaign County Community Foundation: Community foundation serving Champaign County, Illinois with comparable fund types, scholarship programs, and competitive grant cycles. Similar in scale and operating model to IPCF, making it a strong size- and model-comparable peer.
• Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley: Illinois community foundation serving the Aurora/Kendall County area with similar fund types, donor engagement programs, and competitive grant cycles. Comparable in structure and operations to IPCF.
• DeKalb County Community Foundation: Small Illinois community foundation serving a single rural county with comparable donor-advised funds, scholarships, and grant programs. Highly comparable in size, geographic context, and community foundation model.
• Quad Cities Community Foundation: Community foundation serving the Quad Cities region of Illinois and Iowa with comparable fund management, donor-advised funds, and competitive grant cycles. Slightly larger scale but highly comparable operating model.
• Community Foundation of Central Illinois: Community foundation serving the Peoria and Springfield regions of Illinois with similar fund-type offerings, donor-advised fund programs, and competitive grant cycles to local nonprofits. Closest in-state peer by mission, structure, and grantmaking model.
• Community Foundation of Macon County: Community foundation serving Macon County (Decatur), Illinois with analogous fund offerings, scholarship administration, and grant programs. Rural Central Illinois peer operating with similar scale and community focus.

Regional players

• Heartland Foundation: Regional community foundation serving Central Illinois with a similar grantmaking and donor services model. Operates in a different but adjacent geography to IPCF, making it a relevant regional comparable.

Broad incumbents

• The Chicago Community Trust: One of the largest community foundations in the Midwest, serving the greater Chicago region. Comparable mission and fund types but operates at materially greater scale, providing a useful benchmark for IPCF's potential long-term trajectory.
• Fidelity Charitable: Largest national donor-advised fund sponsor in the U.S. Direct competitor for HNW donors in IPCF's region, offering scale, brand recognition, and lower fees — a key competitive threat for IPCF's DAF pipeline.

Others

• Council on Foundations: National membership association for philanthropic entities including community foundations. Not a direct competitor but a relevant peer/ecosystem organization for benchmarking standards, advocacy, and donor trends.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ilprairiecf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/illinois-prairie-community-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments130 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Illinois Prairie Community Foundation