Post how the MCF has impacted you for a chance to win a $1,000 grant for your favorite nonprofit organization.

Post Date: Thursday, October 31, 2024

We’re honored that so many people are helping us celebrate our 25th Anniversary! To thank the community, on Friday, November 23, we’re going to select 25 people (at random) who’ve posted or shared with their social media network a message about our anniversary and invite them to select a favorite local charitable organization to receive a grant from MCF of $1000. (Don’t want to post? No problem! Reach out privately and tell us why you’re celebrating MCF, and we’ll enter you into the drawing!)

Share how the Morton Community Foundation has impacted you, your family, your community, or your favorite non-profit, school, etc. We’d love to hear your own thoughts, but we’ve also created some sample social media posts below. Feel free to use them and/or modify them as you like.
Once you’ve shared your post on social media, take a screenshot, and email the screenshot to info@mortoncommunityfoundation.org. PLEASE INCLUDE your phone number so we can reach out if your name is selected as one of the 25 $1,000 grant winners.
Deadline for receipt of your emails containing a screenshot of your social media post is Friday, November 22.
Drawing will be conducted on Monday, November 25. Winners will be contacted beginning that day, and will need to provide us with the name of the non-profit group they want their $1,000 grant to go to.
Eligible grant recipients are any 501(c)(3) charities, schools (public or parochial), parks, library, etc. You could also direct your $1,000 grant to be deposited in your favorite existing endowed fund at the MCF.
Our Celebration Day will be held on GivingTuesday, which is Tuesday, December 3, 2024. Winners will be asked to post on GivingTuesday the name of the non-profit group they chose, and why.

Sample Text…

Sample #1
We’re so honored to be among the many individuals, families and businesses who work with the Morton Community Foundation. Our family’s Community Foundation Donor Advised Fund allows us to support the nonprofits we care about, (such as _______, _______, and _______) year over year. Did you know that MCF is celebrating its 25th Anniversary?

Sample #2
Did you know that for 25 years, the Morton Community Foundation has been our community’s go-to resource for all things charitable giving? We love working with the MCF team to support our favorite causes in the most tax-savvy ways, and be part of our community’s long-term future! They are the hub for all our charitable giving, and make the process seamless.

Sample #3
We love celebrating philanthropy in our community by working with the Morton Community Foundation! By working with MCF, our family has been able to simply and efficiently make ongoing donations to local nonprofits, our place of worship, and even our out-of-town alma maters. Happy 25th Anniversary, MCF!

Sample #4
Happy 25th Anniversary to the Morton Community Foundation. As a current (or former) member of the Board, I’ve seen first-hand how the MCF stewards our donors’ funds, creating a permanent source of revenue for charities, schools, parks, and libraries in our area. Not sure what the MCF is all about? I’d love to chat, or I can put you in touch with the MCF staff.

Support the Dolly Parton
Imagination Library…

Providing free books for every student in Tazewell County up to 5 years old

ONCE UPON A TIME…

Children under five years old who live in Tazewell County are now eligible to receive a free book each month through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program in partnership with Tazewell County Libraries. The free books are offered to all children under five in the county, regardless of family income.

Learn/DONATE

“Illinois Gives” Tax Credit Act
Rewards Donors with 25% Income Tax Credit

New law takes effect January 1, 2025

WE ARE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE NEW LEGISLATION – THE ILLINOIS GIVES TAX CREDIT ACT!

Learn more

Check out one of our newest funds…
Morton Gridiron Club Endowment Fund

learn more about the morton gridiron club endowment fund. click below…

Gridiron

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How does the Morton Community Foundation work?
What does it mean to Gather, Grow, and Grant?

Learn more

You’ve lived here. You’ve worked here.
Morton has been good to you.

You can give back with a gift to our community’s future. By designating a portion of your estate for future good works, you can endow a charitable fund at the Morton Community Foundation that will bear your name (or any name you choose) forever. Your gift will establish a permanent legacy, provide a lasting source of pride and build a stronger community.

GIFTS OF NON-CASH ASSETS

Individuals who wish to start an endowment fund at the MCF, or who wish to donate to an existing endowment may do so by directly transferring shares of highly appreciated stock, which could result in tax savings for the donor.

The size of your benefit is your unrealized gain times your tax rate. This basic idea still applies if you’re only donating a smaller amount of stock at the lower long-term capital gains rate of 15%. If you bought a stock for $1,000 and it’s now worth $2,000, donating it directly will save you $150 to $238 in taxes ($1,000 x 15% or 20% or 23.8%). If someone didn’t know and simply changed the order (sell stock, then immediately donate the cash proceeds), that tax savings would disappear.

"…This special benefit is particularly important under the new tax law, because it applies to all donors, even non-itemizers who canʼt use charitable deductions.

Donors can benefit even when they donʼt want to change their investment portfolio. For example, instead of donating cash, a donor can give shares of appreciated stock and then use the cash to immediately purchase identical replacement shares, leaving the portfolio intact, but eliminating all capital gains." Source: Professor Russell James III , J.D., Ph.D., CFP® Director of Graduate Studies in Charitable Financial Planning Texas Tech University.

Caterpillar or State Farm employees or retirees who combine direct transfer of highly appreciated stock to the MCF along with the State Farm or CAT Foundation 1:1 matching grants program can make huge impact on their favorite cause(s) through the Morton Community Foundation.

Higher Standards

The Morton Community Foundation has recently been accredited with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations®—the highest standards for philanthropic excellence.

We work to support the causes our community cares about, from supporting our outstanding schools and strong youth sports organizations to installing adaptive recreational equipment, supporting our amazing public library, and collecting donations for non-profit and school COVID mitigation efforts. National Standards says that we meet the most rigorous standards in philanthropy and is a promise to our community that we’ll continue to do this good work together, right here in Morton.

National Standards is not mandatory. We chose to go above and beyond by affirming our commitment to excellence and accountability. Our accreditation provides assurance that we have sound policies and practices in place. In short, it means we meet the highest standards for local giving.

To receive accreditation with National Standards, the Morton Community Foundation submitted our policies and procedures to a rigorous review of 26 National Standards in six key areas of community foundation operations, including donor services, investment management, grantmaking and administration.

The National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations® program was established in 2000 in cooperation with the Council on Foundations. For more information about National Standards, visit www.cfstandards.org.

Qualified Charitable Distribution?

You can lower your federal and state tax liability by changing how you contribute to your favorite charities.

This from our friends at David Mills C.P.A...."Qualified Charitable Contributions (QCD): We still speak to several people who are not aware of the tax advantages of this program. You can lower your federal and state tax liability by changing how you contribute to your favorite charities. For higher income taxpayers you may be able to lower income enough to avoid higher Medicare premiums. Call us or your financial advisor for more details."

And, this from the IRS...

What is a qualified charitable distribution?

Generally, a qualified charitable distribution is an otherwise taxable distribution from an IRA (other than an ongoing SEP or SIMPLE IRA) owned by an individual who is age 70½ or over that is paid directly from the IRA to a qualified charity. See Publication 590-B, Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) for additional information.

Can a qualified charitable distribution satisfy my required minimum distribution from an IRA?

Yes, your qualified charitable distributions can satisfy all or part the amount of your required minimum distribution from your IRA. For example, if your 2019 required minimum distribution was $10,000, and you made a $5,000 qualified charitable distribution for 2019, you would have had to withdraw another $5,000 to satisfy your 2019 required minimum distribution.

OUR INDIVIDUAL ANNUAL SUPPORT PARTNERS

Click the button below to see a list of all the individuals/families who have made a commitment to support the Morton Community Foundation's Operating Fund with regular monthly/quarterly/annual donations. Call to find out how you too can help in this way.

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