Better Together Fund
No one knows exactly what tomorrow may bring for our community. What needs and opportunities will arise? What critical work will we be called to do to improve quality of life for our community? What can we do now to help assure that future needs are met?
The Better Together Fund was created to address these questions. It presents an opportunity for all who love Greater Des Moines to invest in our community’s most important issues, initiatives and needs for generations to come. Think of it as the savings account for the future of our community. The flexible dollars it provides enable the Community Foundation to respond to emerging needs as they arise – and invest significant funding in initiatives and opportunities that strengthen Greater Des Moines.
We can’t predict the future. But today, through the Better Together Fund, we can play a role in positioning our community for continued success. We’re simply better together.
Be Part of Something Bigger
You can invest in the future needs and opportunities of our community through support of the Community Foundation’s Better Together Fund. Click here to see a listing of projects made possible, in part, to the Better Together Fund.
Open a Better Together Fund
- You can create a Better Together charitable giving fund in your name to ensure continued support of our community’s pressing needs and promising opportunities through the Community Foundation’s grantmaking.
- A Better Together named fund can be established during your lifetime and provide you with the opportunity to see the impact of your investments in action. It can also be established after your lifetime, through your will or trust, to continue your commitment to the community for generations to come.
- We accept a variety of gifts including appreciated securities, real estate, business interests, personal tangible property, retirement plans, life insurance, agricultural assets and more to make sure that you are maximizing your giving in tax-wise ways.
- Contributions to your fund can be made at anytime with the possibility of accessing unique tax-wise giving opportunities like the Endow Iowa Tax Credit, a 25% state tax credit.
Make a Gift to the Better Together Fund
- A gift to the Better Together Fund is a gift to the community today and into the future. Because the Better Together Fund is a permanent endowment for our community, your support will make an impact for generations to come.
- Gifts can be made using a variety of asset types and may qualify for the Endow Iowa Tax Credits.
Better Together Fund in Action
Through the Better Together Fund, the Community Foundation has provided key grant funding to community projects, serving needs that could not have been anticipated when the Community Foundation began its work 50 years ago.
Better Together Fund grants have created transformational change in our community through numerous projects, including:
One Economy
Develop Systemic Solutions: Grow strong, inclusive connections and build partnerships to create equity.
80/35
Enrich Arts & Culture: Support an engaging creative culture where the arts thrive to inspire and create a vibrant community.
Water Works Park Foundation
Inspire Community Betterment: Ensure vibrant, accessible outdoor recreational experiences and sustainability efforts.
Bridges to Success
Collaborate for Academic Achievement: Provide opportunities for underserved students to achieve academic success.
Central Iowa Shelter & Services
Support Neighbors: Develop innovative ways to meet our neighbors’ basic needs of shelter and health.
Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families
Enhance Economic Prosperity: Reduce barriers to employment through neighborhood-based workforce training and skill development.
Better Together Legacy Society
The Better Together Legacy Society recognizes individuals and families who are investing in our community after their lifetimes through Better Together grantmaking programs. These forward-thinking community members are leaving a legacy of support for the future of our community. Click here to view members of the Better Together Legacy Society.