President's Letter

Recently, I had the good fortune of starting my morning in Bliss, located in Gooding County, the 28th Idaho county I have visited. While the town is not named after the emotion, I was happy to be there. 

After leaving Bliss, I had the chance to spend nearly two days in Twin Falls, a growing town in population and in opportunities. One of my stops was the College of Southern Idaho, a frequent grantee of the Idaho Community Foundation. CSI has a student body of 9,000 students and is Idaho’s first and only college that has been named a Hispanic-Serving Institution, which is an official designation from the U.S. Department of Education. It means that at least 25% of its student body is Hispanic. This allows the school to apply for multiple sources of funds. Their men’s and women’s basketball teams also happen to be ranked #1 and #5 in the country, respectively.

If you have never visited the Herrett Center at CSI, I highly recommend it. It is a natural history museum that houses a planetarium, along with impressive anthropology, archeology and zoology collections, and it helps tell the story of the Magic Valley. 

While visiting with CSI President Dean Fisher, I was joined by past Board Directors Mike McBride and Armand Eckert, who along with past Board Director Linda Watkins, were incredibly helpful in opening doors and setting up appointments with Magic Valley leaders. Thank you!

I had the chance to meet with ICF grantee La Posada, an organization that works extensively with Hispanic and refugee communities. They help people with tax preparation, immigration paperwork and housing. 

Sister RoseMary Boessen is the Founder of La Posada (which means “the inn” in Spanish). She and her team served more than 6,000 people in 2022. 

I had the opportunity to meet with Board Members from the Children’s Museum of the Magic Valley, including Board President Bethany Bell, Development Committee Chair Lisa Hymas, Treasurer Judi Baxter. Mike McBride a member of their Capital Campaign Committee, which is reaching out across southern Idaho for support.

This 14,000-square foot museum, which is an ICF grantee, will be located in wonderful downtown Twin Falls. It will educate thousands of kids and help draw even more people downtown.

One of my final stops was to meet with Carla Flores and Shelley Pursell of Chobani, which is an ICF fundholder. Carla is a member of the employee contribution committee at Chobani as well as the Chair of our South Central Regional Council. Shelley is Chobani’s Community Impact Manager. Chobani has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Magic Valley and is a model for corporate responsibility.    

Best wishes,
Steve Burns

Thank you for your support of the Idaho Community Foundation. We truly appreciate your commitment to give where you live!

You can be one of our All-Stars in 2023 by joining ICF as a member or renewing your ICF membership. Membership is a great way to deepen support for your community and it helps us respond to needs in every corner of the state.

An ICF membership is much more than a financial transaction, it’s a way to show support for Idaho and the people who live here.

Coming Soon: Annual grant distributions

Idaho nonprofits, school foundations and other community organizations with Organizational Funds and/or Designated Funds at ICF will soon receive their annual grant distribution. Annual endowment distributions are paid out each spring from qualifying endowment funds at the Idaho Community Foundation.

Below are answers to some frequently asked questions about Organizational Funds and Designated Funds.

What are Organizational Funds and Designated Funds?
One of the ways we strengthen community organizations is by helping them build a secure future for themselves. Organizational Funds can be established by IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofits. More than 100 Idaho organizations have ICF funds, which gives them access to ICF’s professional management expertise, assistance with planned gift options and the ability to accept a wide variety of gifts into their fund, including stock, life insurance and more. Distributions from the fund are made annually.

Designated Funds are created by donors who want to provide lasting support to one or more Idaho nonprofits that have touched their lives. These funds benefit from ICF’s professional management expertise and can accept a wide variety of gifts, including stock, life insurance and more. Distributions are made annually.

When can Organizational Fundholders and Designated Fund beneficiaries expect to see funds in their account?
We will make payments beginning in March. If your organization has opted to receive distributions via electronic funds transfer, you will receive an email notification when the distribution is on the way. Grantees who requested paper checks will receive them in the mail.

What if our bank account information has changed?
Most distributions are made via EFT payments to your organization’s bank account. If your bank account information has changed since March 1, 2022, please complete the 2022 ICF Substitute W9 Form and email to accounting@idahocf.org. If your bank was sold/merged with another bank, we need a new W9, even if you didn’t change your accounts. If nothing has changed or if you recently sent in a W9, you don’t need to do anything.

To learn more about establishing an ICF Organizational Fund or Designated Fund, email Senior Philanthropic Advisor Kris Kamann. If you have questions related to your 2023 distribution, contact Philanthropic Services Administrator Sarah Wissenbach, sarah@idahocf.org.

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