Our Story
We are often asked: “Why does McHenry County need a Community Foundation?"
This was the topic of conversation when, in 2001, a small group of McHenry County residents gathered around a table to discuss creating a new charitable organization that would serve the entire community—both donors and nonprofit agencies alike—and that would ensure financial support for the nonprofit services being offered in the community forever.
The Community Foundation for McHenry County today is the county’s leading charitable organization that provides legacy giving to our community’s donors and charitable organizations. We provide approximately $2 million in grants support each year to nonprofit agencies that serve the residents of our community.
In addition to grant programs and support, we also manage and administer:
- Donor advised funds on behalf of individual donors
- Agency Funds
- Scholarship funds on behalf of donors
- Technical assistance and training programs for charitable organization
We work with more than 100 donor funds, scholarship programs and pass through donations from donors in our community to help more than 70 nonprofit agencies annually, touching tens of thousands of people in McHenry County.
We also provide a means for individuals in our community to provide a legacy gift to a place they love and live in.