What Rush County Community Foundation does

Rush County Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community foundation established on May 21, 1991 in Rushville, Indiana, operating exclusively within Rush County. The foundation manages more than $49 million in community assets across scholarship funds ($8.2M+), designated funds ($12.1M+), Lilly GIFT matching funds ($19M+), community grants ($4.6M+), field of interest funds ($1.6M+), donor advised funds, and community partnership allocations. Core service lines include a competitive community grants program, a multi-tier scholarship program covering high school seniors through graduate and nontraditional students, and donor fund vehicles (donor-advised, designated, and field of interest funds). The foundation's revenue model is donation- and endowment-driven: it receives charitable gifts from individuals, families, and organizations, invests permanent endowments professionally, and distributes a portion of earnings annually through grants and scholarships.

The foundation extends beyond traditional grantmaking into community leadership programming, including the First5 early learning initiative, the CIRCLe women's giving circle, Youth in Philanthropy, and a Rural Revitalization program addressing blight elimination and homeowner rehabilitation. It operates the Love Community Center as a physical facility hosting fitness, events, and cultural programming, and in 2026 hosted the Smithsonian's Voices and Votes: Democracy in America exhibit. Strategic partnerships anchor operations, most prominently a multi-decade relationship with Lilly Endowment Inc. through the Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) challenge program (currently GIFT IX offering a 2:1 match on Community Grants Funds), alongside collaborations with Ball State University (Community Based Action Planning) and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs ($500,000 rehabilitation grant in 2025). Operational technology is third-party SaaS (FCSuite for fund management, Grant Interface for applications, Constant Contact for email), with no proprietary platform, API, or AI capability disclosed. Governance rests with a volunteer Board of Directors led by President Kelly Morgan and an executive director (Chris May as of 2026), supported by 68 active volunteers.

Name

Rush County Community Foundation

Legal name

Rush County Community Foundation

Website

https://rushcountyfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rush County Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation managing $49M+ in permanent endowments to deliver grants, scholarships, and community programs to donors, nonprofits, and students exclusively in Rush County, Indiana.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Charitable endowment funds
• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Scholarship administration
• Donor advised funds

Headquarters

HQ city

Rushville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Gifts: Receives charitable donations from individuals, families, and organizations to establish permanent endowment funds and pass-through funds. Donations may be matched through Lilly GIFT programs (currently GIFT IX with 2:1 match on unrestricted Community Grants Funds).
2. Endowment Investment Returns: Permanent endowments are invested to generate earnings that fund grants and scholarships in perpetuity. Original gift amounts remain invested while earnings are distributed annually.
3. Fund Management Services: Manages various fund types including designated endowment funds (76+), field of interest funds, donor advised funds, and scholarship funds for the community.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Rush County Community Foundation operates a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community foundation that manages permanent charitable endowments and administers a portfolio of philanthropic services for Rush County, Indiana. The foundation channels donations from individuals, families, and organizations into permanent endowment funds whose investment earnings fund community grants to local nonprofits, scholarships to Rush County students, and donor-advised, designated, and field-of-interest fund vehicles in perpetuity.

Product overview

Rush County Community Foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community foundation offering a portfolio of philanthropic services rather than a technology product. Core offerings include Community Grants (competitive grantmaking to local nonprofits), Scholarships (awards to Rush County students at all education levels), and fund administration vehicles (donor-advised funds, designated funds, field of interest funds, and pass-through funds). Supporting programs include the First5 Early Learning Initiative, CIRCLe Fund (women's giving circle), Youth in Philanthropy, Love Community Center, and Rural Revitalization initiatives. The foundation also facilitates Lilly Endowment GIFT matching programs and planned giving options. Services are delivered through internal staff and volunteer committees using third-party platforms for applications and fund management, not through a unified software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Love Community Center: A community center operated by RCCF offering fitness facilities, programs, and hosting the Voices and Votes: Democracy in America Smithsonian exhibit in 2026. Located at 117 N. Main St., Rushville, IN.
• CIRCLe (Chicks Impacting Rush County Life)
• First5
• REC Center

Products and services

• Community Grants Program
• Scholarships Program
• Donor-Advised Funds
• Designated Funds
• Field of Interest Funds
• First5 Early Learning Initiative
• CIRCLe Fund (Chicks Impacting Rush County Life)
• Love Community Center
• Rural Revitalization Program
• Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) Fund
• Lilly Endowment GIFT Matching Programs
• Leave a Legacy (Planned Giving)

Quantifiable outcome

• 2261 scholarships awarded to 830 students totaling $3.3 million since 2001
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Ball State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Provides guidance for Community Based Action Planning (CBAP), a people-focused, place-based approach to creating positive change in Rush County. RCCF received $100,000 from Lilly Endowment for CBAP implementation.
• Smithsonian InstitutionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosting the Voices and Votes: Democracy in America exhibit at Love Community Center. Only a handful of communities nationwide are selected. Six-week exhibit with local companion exhibit featuring Wendell Willkie.
• Love Community CentercoreOthersRCCF is closely associated with Love Community Center, hosting the Voices & Votes exhibit there and holding the Scholarship Celebration at the venue. Hours: Monday-Friday 5am-9pm, Saturday 7am-5pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hancock County Community Foundation: Indiana-based community foundation providing grants, scholarships, and donor-advised funds in Hancock County. Comparable rural Indiana community foundation model with similar GIFT program participation.
• Wayne County Foundation: Indiana community foundation serving Wayne County with parallel endowment, grant, and scholarship programs. Similar scale and structure, providing a directly comparable peer.
• Johnson County Community Foundation: Indiana community foundation providing grants, scholarships, and donor services in Johnson County. Comparable structure and Indiana location with similar donor-advised fund offerings.
• Henry County Community Foundation: Indiana community foundation serving Henry County with endowment-based grantmaking and scholarships. Comparable rural Indiana community foundation with similar operational model.
• Hamilton County Community Foundation: Indiana community foundation serving Hamilton County with similar endowment, grantmaking, and scholarship programs. Direct peer given comparable structure, Indiana location, and Lilly Endowment GIFT program participation.
• Decatur County Community Foundation: Indiana community foundation serving Decatur County with permanent endowments, grants, and scholarships. Comparable rural Indiana community foundation model.
• Blackford County Community Foundation: Indiana community foundation managing endowments and distributing grants in a small rural county. Comparable structure and Indiana-based GIFT program participant.

Regional players

• Indiana Endowment Fund: Indiana-based statewide fund supporting community foundations. Directly relevant as the umbrella organization that facilitates GIFT matching programs benefiting RCCF.
• Community Foundation of Shelby County: Indiana community foundation serving Shelby County adjacent to Rush County. Comparable small-county community foundation model in the same Indiana region.

Broad incumbents

• The Indianapolis Foundation: Major Indiana community foundation with broader metropolitan focus and significantly larger assets. Provides a benchmark for scaled community foundation operations within the same state ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/giveinrush
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCd3T2y7MCSbFxGQrPQBbZ0A
• Facebookfacebook.com/rushcountyfoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/rushcofoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rush-county-community-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Rush County Community Foundation