Community Foundation of St Joseph County Inc
The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County is a 501(c)(3) public charity and philanthropic endowment established in 1991, headquartered in South Bend, Indiana. The organization serves as a charitable intermediary that receives gifts from donors, invests these gifts permanently, and distributes investment earnings through grants to local charities and community initiatives. The foundation operates with 17 employees and maintains donor-advised funds through which donors can direct the distribution of resources.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$327.4M
+17.7% YoY
Annual Giving
$26.0M
+138.5% YoY
Grant Count
192
+19100.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$135K
-98.8% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County is a charitable endowment to improve the quality of life for the citizens of St. Joseph County and their succeeding generations. The foundation receives gifts from people who care about the St. Joseph County community, invests these gifts forever, and uses the investment earnings to make grants each year to local charities.
Primary Program Areas:
Community Development: The foundation has received significant support from Lilly Endowment Inc. to address the region's attainable housing gap through direct neighborhood investment, regional land bank development, and sophisticated lending tools to facilitate home purchases.
Youth and Education: The foundation sponsors multiple educational initiatives including the 21st Century Scholar Success Initiative, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (reaching nearly 10,000 local children with monthly books), and the Early Years Count Initiative. The foundation maintains over 65 scholarship funds that distribute close to $1 million annually.
Arts and Culture: The foundation supports arts initiatives and cultural programming in the region.
Senior Issues: The foundation creates and leads initiatives benefiting seniors in the community.
The foundation also supports field-of-interest funds in areas such as the environment and allows individuals and corporations to establish funds aligned with their charitable priorities.
Grantmaking
The foundation distributed $26,734,186 in total giving according to its most recent tax filing. Typical grant awards range from $6,150 to $12,250,000.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily serves St. Joseph County, Indiana, with grant-making activities also extending to Indiana, Illinois, and Colorado.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Most Recent Financial Data (2025):
- Total Assets: $327,427,221
- Total Revenue: $61,343,123
- Total Expenses: $30,069,922
- Total Giving: $26,734,186
- Total Liabilities: $18,500,000
Tax-Exempt Status: The organization has maintained 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status since May 1974 (EIN: 23-7365930).
Rating: The foundation received a Four-Star rating with a 97% score based on accountability and finance metrics.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $327,427,221 | $278,288,562 | $255,508,846 |
| Revenue | $61,343,123 | $21,649,610 | $17,614,512 |
| Expenses | $30,069,922 | $14,507,647 | $12,821,732 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $26,853,154 | $11,918,123 | $14,620,652 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
113 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from Community Foundation of St Joseph County Inc
ArtsEverywhere Grants
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF ST JOSEPH COUNTY INC
Amount
Up to US $10,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Senior Living Initiative Grant Program
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF ST JOSEPH COUNTY INC
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Special Project Grants
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF ST JOSEPH COUNTY INC
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Principal Officer: Mrs. Rose Meissner
The foundation maintains a Community Foundation Board and employs a staff of 17 people.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
From 2025 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rose Meissner | President/CEO | 50 | $284,804 |
| Anita Echevarria | VP Administration | 45 | $142,732 |
| Aaron Perri | VP Community Impact | 45 | $135,520 |
| Marion Fulce | Past Chair | 1 | — |
| Richard Currey | Chair | 1 | — |
| Kristin Pruitt | Vice Chair | 1 | — |
| Darran Teamor | Treasurer | 1 | — |
| Regina Emberton | Secretary | 1 | — |
| Kyle Bossung | Director | 1 | — |
| Kyle Chamberlin | Director | 1 | — |
| Gail English | Director | 1 | — |
| Angela Faccenda | Director | 1 | — |
| Scott Ford | Director | 1 | — |
| Kimberly Green Reeves | Director | 1 | — |
| Mary Jan Hedman | Director | 1 | — |
| David Kibbe JD | Director | 1 | — |
| Mark Neal | Director | 1 | — |
| James Riley | Director | 1 | — |
| Leonard Sanchez MSW | Director | 1 | — |
| James Sawdon CPA CFP | Director | 1 | — |
| Timothy Sexton | Director | 1 | — |
| Matthew Shambry | Director | 1 | — |
| Dan Wolfson | Director | 1 | — |
Contact Information
- Website: www.cfsjc.org
- Phone: 574-232-0041
- Email: info@cfsjc.org
- Address: 305 S Michigan St, South Bend, IN 46601-2303
Mailing Address: PO Box 837, South Bend, IN 46624
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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