For Donors » Giving

Holding fast to dreams.
In the twelve years since our founding, the Sandusky/Erie County Community Foundation has grown from endowment assets of $1.8 million in 1995 to current assets of more than $14 million. This tremendous growth is the result of the support and encouragement of many donors, including private foundations, individuals, corporations and nonprofit organizations. Since 1995, the Community Foundation has awarded more than $2.5 million in grants and scholarships for the benefit of Erie County residents. Each and every dollar expresses someone's dream of touching lives.

It is impossible to measure how many lives have been positively impacted by the projects made possible by the dreamers in our community. The need to hold fast to those dreams and to serve the community through the collaborative efforts of our donors, volunteers, board and staff has never been greater. Looking ahead, we ask how many more lives and in what ways can we touch the future? Such is the stuff of which great dreams are made.

Do you have a dream to share? Please contact the foundation office to learn more about giving opportunities and options.


For Donors » Giving » Ways to Give

Lake Erie Environmental Education Fund, a Field of Interest Fund, was established by the Great Lakes Protection Fund and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to educate the public about maintaining the continued health of Lake Erie.
The Community Foundation welcomes gifts of any size and accepts a broad range of assets, including cash, securities, real estate, life insurance, bequests, gift annuities, charitable trusts, and private foundation assets.

There are many ways to give back to the community, through a gift to the Community Foundation.

Unrestricted Gifts are annual gifts such as memorials or tributes that are used to support the Community Grants and Youth Council Grants programs.

Endowed Funds may be established for various purposes, and named in recognition of the donor or the donor's designee. Each fund is defined in consultation with the Foundation at the time the fund is created.

Unrestricted Named Funds support Community Grants and Youth Council Grants, which are awarded for the arts, community development, education, the environment, social services and youth services.

Field of Interest Funds support a general interest such as children's health or the arts, or a specific geographic area in Erie County.

Scholarship Funds support Erie County students pursuing a post secondary education, and may be designated for students of a particular high school college or for those pursuing a specific field of study.

Designated Funds are established by, and in support of, a specific Erie County non-profit organization. Designated fund distributions are often used for much needed operating support of the organization.

Donor Advised Funds may support one or more non-profit organizations each year, as recommended by the donor.


For Donors » Giving » When to Give

You can contribute now or make a planned gift that benefits the community after your lifetime.

Options for giving today include:
  • Make an unrestricted contribution or a gift in memory or in honor of someone special or to commemorate a special occasion.
  • Make a contribution to an existing fund for the benefit of a specific organization, scholarship fund, or general field of interest
  • Establish an endowed fund, such as a Field of Interest or Donor Advised Fund that suits your charitable interests, with a minimum $10,000 contribution.


Options for planned giving include:
  • Bequest and gifts by will
  • Naming the Foundation as beneficiary of Individual Retirement Account assets
  • Transfer of life insurance policies to the foundation
  • Charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts, vehicles that pay you income and, after your lifetime, support your charitable goals after your lifetime.


For Donors » Giving » Where to Give

Boy and Girls Club children enjoy outing at Sheldon's Marsh.
The Community Foundation supports the work of Erie County non-profit organizations that provide much needed and valued services for the benefit of area residents. The endowment funds of these organizations are managed and invested by the Community Foundation on their behalf. Endowment income offers a permanent source of stable funding for the organization, and may be used for any charitable purpose of the organization, which may include operational support, staffing, programs and services, or facility maintenance and improvement.

To make a donation to the endowment funds of these organizations, click here for a donation form or phone the Foundation office at 419-621-9690 for more information.

To learn more about these organizations, click on the links to their websites. Note: Not all organizations have a website.

Firelands Positive People recognizes young people who have ocercome obstacles in their lives.
American Red Cross, Firelands Chapter
Back to the Wild - Mona Rutger Wildlife Fund
Big Brothers, Big Sisters
Boys and Girls Club of Sandusky
Boy Scouts
Care and Share of Erie County
Carl Evans Music Fund of the Huron Presbyterian Church
College Women's Club
Edison Birthplace Museum
Erie County Education Endowment
Thomas Edison Memorial United Methodist Church
Feick Family Fund for First Presbyterian Church
Firelands Audubon Society
Firelands Habitat for Humanity
Firelands Positive People
Firelands Symphony Orchestra
Firelands Symphony School of the Arts
Grace Episcopal Church
Humane Society of Erie County
   Jeanne S. Barnes Humane Society Fund
Huron Athletic Boosters
Huron Schools TIGER Fund
KinShip
Leadership Erie County (formerly LEADS)
James H. McBride Arboretum, BGSU Firelands
The Connie and Kurt Muehlhauser Fund for Christ Episcopal Church
Milan Historical Museum
The Museum of Carousel Art and History
Legislator's Lake Erie Education Fund/OSU
Stone Laboratory Fund/OSU
Perkins Scholarship Fund
Safe Harbour Domestic Violence Shelter
Sandusky Area YMCA
Sandusky Bay Area Goodwill Industries Fund
Sandusky City Schools
Sandusky City Schools Blue Streak Teacher Grant Fund
Sandusky Cultural Center
Sandusky/Erie County Community Foundation Administrative Fund
   Bettcher Administrative Fund
   Dee Leibersberger Presidents Fund
Sandusky Maritime Museum
Sandusky Rotary Charitable Fund
Sandusky State Theatre
Schlessman Family Legacy Fund
Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio
Stein Hospice
   Warner Fund for Stein Hospice
United Way of Erie County
Volunteer Center
Volunteers of America
Zion Lutheran Church Fund, Huron



For Donors » Giving » Unrestricted Endowed Funds


Senior citizens enjoy new walkway in Edison Woods.
Unrestricted endowed funds support the Community Grants and Youth Council Grants programs each year, which are awarded for the arts, community development, education, the environment, social services and youth services.

To make a gift to support the Community Grants and Youth Council Grants programs, click here for a donation form or phone the Foundation office at 419-621-9690 for more information.

The following donors have established unrestricted endowed funds which have been used to support more than 500 Erie County community projects and programs since the Foundation was incorporated in 1995.

Asher Family Fund
Phyllis M. Asher Fund
Barnes Family Fund
Bettcher Fund
Cedar Point Fund
Citizens Banking Company Fund
Joan R. Coulter Fund
Randolph J. and Estelle M. Dorn Foundation
First Energy Fund
Fresch Electric Company Fund
Albert and Marylin Fresch Fund
Frost-Parker Foundation Fund
Charles W. Gundlach Family Fund
Goff Family Fund
William N. and Helen M. Hansen Memorial Fund
Elizabeth J. Helm Memorial Fund
Anne and Robert Johnstone Family Fund
Kasper Family Fund
KeyBank Fund
Arthur E. and Corrine N. Lange Fund
Jan and Frank Leake Fund
Lear Charitable Giving Fund
The George Jr. and Kathryn Muehlhauser Fund
The Mylander Fund
The National City Bank Fund
The Charles and Marge Pickett Fund
John and Miriam Py Fund
Rainger Family Fund
John and Hyacinth Brownworth Rheinegger Memorial Fund
Ritter-Meckstroth Fund
Sandusky International Fund
William and Dorothy Seiler Fund
Jack and Lelia Springer Fund
Sam and Rose Stein Fund
Virginia Fuller Steinemann Memorial Fund
Janet and Sam Stipp Fund
Eleanor Till Fund
Don and Maureen Warner Fund
Raymond and Mary Watts Fund
Leland and Geraldine Welty Fund
Wightman/Wieber Charitable Foundation Fund
Louis and Jane Zigmond Fund