Mission
The mission of the Cook County Community Fund is to promote private giving for the public good, and to enhance the quality of life of the citizens of Cook County by attracting charitable gifts, making philanthropic grants, and providing responsible financial stewardship and community leadership. The Cook County Community Fund is an affiliate fund of the Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation.

What is a Community Foundation?
Community foundations are a unique way to encourage local philanthropy and to secure charitable resources for the community. Together, charitable donors, community leaders, and service providers work to create solutions to challenges at home. The gifts of many contributors are managed by the community foundation and the income from these resources is distributed to a wide variety of causes. It's a philanthropic choice that minimizes costs and maximizes charitable impact.

What is the Cook County Community Fund?
The Cook County Community Fund, established in 2003, is an affiliate fund of the Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation.

Area residents created the Cook County Community Fund to build permanent endowed funds to meet the charitable needs of the Cook County area.

The Cook County Community Family of Funds includes: Anonymous Charitable Fund, Cook County Community Fund, Cook County Community Grantmaking Temporary Fund, Cook County Community Temporary Fund, Violence Prevention Center Fund, and WTIP Community Radio Fund.

As an affiliate fund of an established Community Foundation, the Cook County Community Fund enjoys the benefit of an experienced staff, administrative support, and the advantage of pooling resources for investment. The Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation is a tax-exempt public charity.

Who decides how the Funds are distributed?
The Cook County Community Fund Advisory Board is made up of residents, business leaders, and others with significant ties to the region representing the broad interests of the community. When the Cook County Community Fund begins its grant making from its unrestricted fund, grant allocations will be recommended by the Grants Committee of the Advisory Board. In turn, those recommendations must be approved by the Board of Trustees of the Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation, which has legal responsibility for final distribution of funds.

How are the Assets administered?
The Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation provides sound investment management. By pooling individual gifts and/or funds, one can realize economies of scale through the association with the Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation's investment portfolio.

Join us!

We invite you to consider how the Cook County Community Fund can help you accomplish your charitable goals. Donors often choose to honor loved ones with gifts given in their memory or in celebration of an event in their lives (marriage, anniversary, etc.).

Together, the Cook County Community Fund and the Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation offer various types of funds to accommodate diverse philanthropic interests and giving styles.

Gifts to our UNRESTRICTED FUND are the most flexible and responsive to meet changing community needs. Gifts in any amount are gratefully accepted at any time. RESTRICTED FUNDS, including Field of Interest Funds, Designated Funds, Scholarship Funds, and Donor Advised Funds, can be created to meet specific charitable needs. A description of these fund options is included in the Ways to Contribute section. All contributions are tax deductible as provided by law.

Create a Lasting Legacy
There are many ways to make a lasting gift to the community. Donors can designate gifts to the Cook County Community Fund, an affiliate fund of the Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation, in many forms, including: cash, stocks, bonds, real estate, life insurance, and IRAs. Consider joining those who have made a bequest in their will to benefit the Cook County area. A description of these options is included in the Ways to Contribute section.

Cook County Community Fund Advisory Board
Sharon Bloomquist, Secretary/Treasurer, Community Representative, Grand Marais
Sue Gronemeyer, Community Representative, Grand Marais
Howard Hedstrom, Vice-Chair, Hedstrom Lumber Co., Inc., Grand Marais
Mike LaVigne, Grand Marais State Bank, Grand Marais
Leigh Mathison, Attorney, Grand Marais
Mary Petz, Community Representative, Hovland
Beth Rogers Kennedy, Business Owner and Community Representative
Dick Struck, Community Representative, Grand Marais
Steve Surbaugh, Chair, Real Estate Agent, Grand Marais

Staff:

Becky Byers Strand
Development Officer
Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation
218-726-0232
bbstrand@dsacommunityfoundation.com

Holly C. Sampson
President
Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation
218-726-0232
info@dsacommunityfoundation.com