Valley Community Fund

In 2005, the Valley Community Foundation (VCF) staff and volunteers witnessed the establishment of a legacy that would continuously adapt and address the ever-evolving needs of our community.

The Valley Community Fund, established by Bill and Judy Bassett, is evidence of the perpetual power of unrestricted endowment funds. The Bassetts hoped their fund would ensure “that all donors with gifts of any size can invest in the community endowment which supports our community’s opportunities and ever-changing needs over time.”

Unrestricted funds like the Valley Community Fund are not earmarked for specific purposes but are instead allocated by VCF’s Board of Directors to areas where they are most needed.

Over the years, this fund has become a vital part of VCF’s grantmaking activities, enhancing its ability to respond to immediate crises and support a broad spectrum of causes that uplift the Valley community.  

Donations to VCF during the Great Give are directed into the Valley Community Fund for specific campaigns, such as the COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Fund. In 2024, gifts made to VCF through the Great Give were used to offset nearly $600,000 in grant requests, an unprecedented amount showing dire need in the region. Such flexibility highlights the critical role that unrestricted funds play in VCF’s strategy, allowing it to respond swiftly and effectively to emerging community needs.

“The agility of unrestricted funds is what makes them so effective,” said Sharon Closius, VCF’s President and CEO. “They empower VCF to laser-focus support on nonprofits and causes exactly when and where it is needed most without the delay of earmarking funds for predefined purposes.”

The success story of the Valley Community Fund, and other unrestricted funds at VCF, is not just about the funds themselves but also about the vision and trust of donors like Bill and Judy Bassett who understood the long-term benefits of flexible giving.

Looking to the future, VCF is in the early stages of establishing a new special unrestricted fund. The yet-named fund will be supported through a multi-year endowment campaign aimed at supporting community leadership and the mission of community building in general.

“As we move forward, our work at VCF is much more than grantmaking these days,” Closius said. “This new fund symbolizes a renewed commitment to broaden VCF’s impact, further enabling us to nurture and develop our community’s capacity for growth and resilience.”