History of Giving

We may never know what moves people to generosity toward one another.

Religious faith, compassion and a desire to return some good anindividual has received may be reasons for giving to help others. This is how libraries were built, children's health safeguarded and museums opened throughout the history of DuPage County.

Building on that heritage of philanthropy, those wanting to make a lasting contribution within DuPage County can continue to build a foundation for the future through The DuPage Community Foundation.

People with an interest in their community and a vision for the future have united to create a permanent endowment. This endowment remains invested, with the principal secure, while the interest is used to make grants throughout the community of DuPage.

Generous gifts from the Foundation's earliest donors laid the cornerstone for a secure community foundation. Sharing a feeling of responsibility, people of DuPage County have always given unselfishly.

The legacies of some of our citizens are as varied as they are generous. A secluded downtown park, a safe-house to shelter the vulnerable from domestic violence and a center for the arts are points of pride for us all.

The DuPage Community Foundation carries this tradition into a new century as our population grows and problems become more complex. However, the motives for sharing remain the same as they have always been.

We need to leave behind us something permanent. We hope our lives are measured by our contributions and altruism. We do not know what issues and problems will arise in the future.

Regardless of changing times, The DuPage Community Foundation is the vehicle through which charitably-minded people can give to the future. The DuPage Community Foundation is an endowment built cooperatively by many donors to benefit DuPage County. It is governed by a board of private citizens representing the public interest.