Mission
Our
mission is to nurture charitable giving,
enrich quality of life, and promote a sense
of community - now, and in the future.
History
The earliest dated information concerning the creation
of a foundation is a piece from 1973 addressed to a Maquoketa businessman
and community leader George Spalding. It's a letter from Paul Tornquist,
First National Bank in Davenport, in reply to George's request for
information about starting a foundation.
Ten years later, on Thursday, December 29, 1983, a meeting
at the Maquoketa Country Club formally launched what is known today
as the Maquoketa Area Community Foundation.
 |
Robert Osterhaus & Ken Simmons working
in the Maquoketa Community Cupboard |
Robert Osterhaus, the foundation's first president, lead
the meeting giving foundation information and announcing the board
of directors. The foundation was established as a non-profit organization
to accept bequests and gifts to serve area communities. The foundation
started with $3,000 in checks. Sol Atienza, a Maquoketa High School
student created the foundation’s first logo.
 |
Corliss Baty & Sol Atienza, who created
the foundations' first logo. |
The bylaws called for a seven member board with representation from
several specific areas. The Maquoketa Area Chamber
of Commerce, the Jackson County Bar Association, Hawkeye Bank and
Trust, which is now US BANK, the
Maquoketa High School and Maquoketa State Bank all have
a representative. There are two at large board members and two trustees.
Charter Members of the Board of Directors
are:
Robert Osterhaus, President
George Spalding, Vice President
Margaret Albert, Secretary/Treasurer
Sylvester Klein
Corliss Baty
Elaine Luett
Jerry Rasmussen
Craig Bentrott, Trustee
John Fagerland, Trustee
The Community Cupboard was the first recipient of funding
from the foundation. The contribution was $500. The foundation’s
first scholarship fund was created by the Harris Penrose family. The
foundation’s first large gift was to the Maquoketa Public Library
for an expansion and renovation project for $150,000. Today, the foundation
has assets of over $4.0 million dollars.
Background Information
The foundation is a collection of almost 40 endowed and donor-advised
funds. Seventy-nine percent of the funds are endowed.
Donors
As a tax-exempt public charity, the foundation was organized
as a vehicle for people to give back to their communities through
bequests and gifts from living donors. You may give a gift to the
foundation at any time. Discussing the tax benefits of certain types
of planned gifts with a trusted attorney, accountant, or financial
planner may influence the timing of your gift. Almost any kind of
asset may be a charitable contribution, including cash, real estate,
tangible property, stocks and bonds. The foundation may also be designated
as the beneficiary or co-beneficiary of a life insurance policy, individual
retirement account or gift annuity. Gifts may be unrestricted or designated
for specific use. An endowed fund will reduce the dependence on annual
gifts and ensure that future needs will be met. It will also assure
future donors of the fund’s permanence.
Grants
Grant awards are generally limited to tax-exempt, nonprofit
organizations classified as 501(c) (3) by the IRS.
Grant awards are generally restricted to the greater Maquoketa
area identified by the foundation as Jackson County.
Grant making at the Maquoketa Area Community Foundation is
a thoughtful process. The board carefully assesses community needs
when evaluating grants.
The foundation accepts grant applications year round. Contact
the foundation office at 563.652.4179 or via email at maf@cis.net
for more information and an application. You may also download the
application from this web site.
Grant application
