Local couple helps Waukon Park, Recreation and Wellness create an endowed future

$2,000 gift from Joe and Mary Cunningham helped leverage a $2,500 challenge grant through Allamakee Community Foundation

The Waukon Park, Recreation and Wellness Department has long provided beautiful green spaces and positive activities to foster well-being, physical skills and enjoyment of the outdoors. Now, one local couple has helped ensure the organization will be able to continue the impact for many years to come.
Thanks to a $2,000 endowment gift from Joe and Mary Cunningham of Waukon, the Waukon Parks and Recreation Endowment was able to meet the $7,500 benchmark to receive a $2,500 Seed for Success grant from the Allamakee County Community Foundation (ACCF).
“Joe has always been an advocate for having a flourishing park system and regularly volunteers time to help with improvements,” said Anne Blocker, former vice president of the Waukon Parks and Recreation Board. “We are honored by Joe and Mary’s generosity.”
The Seeds for Success program provides a $2,500 challenge grant to area nonprofits with the goal of them raising at least a $7,500 match for a total of $10,000 to establish a sustaining endowment. Once an endowment reaches the $10,000 milestone, the fund will pay out five percent every year to help support the work of the nonprofit, church, or school forever.
“We’re really excited about reaching this goal, because it holds great opportunity for the future,” said Blocker.
Waukon Parks, Recreation and Wellness is one of more than 20 nonprofits serving Allamakee County supported by an endowed fund at the Foundation. This year, nonprofits received more than $66,000 from Allamakee County Community Foundation endowment pay-outs.
Gifts to endowment funds are eligible for the Endow Iowa 25% State Tax Credit. This tax credit is in addition to the federal deduction for charitable gifts. Endow Iowa is a financial incentive for individual donors, families and businesses to create or build endowments to give back to their community. For some donors, the actual cost of the gift is 40 cents on the dollar; and the increased charitable impact per dollar gifted is one of the reasons endowments are growing in Allamakee County.
For information about how to start and grow an endowment for a cause they love, individuals can contact Allamakee County Community Foundation Coordinator Betty Steege at steebo@acegroup.cc or at 563-586-2046.