Thief River Falls Area Community Fund
About UsA Little History
It took more than a year of effort to find local volunteers willing to invest the time and effort to staff an advisory committee. The next step was to develop plans and materials for fund raising and grant making. These volunteers work hard to raise funds and to choose the recipients, beneficiaries, and programs the fund will support–exclusively within the Thief River Falls school district area.
The goals of the fund are to keep on giving each year to support local activities that make the TRF area a better place to live and work, while also building a permanent fund to continue this work far into the future.
The committee makes grants that impact the following priorities:
- Social Need
- Youth Engagement
- Senior Enrichment
- Quality of Life
Committee members secure donations for both the Project and Endowment Funds with the goal of growing the endowment to a sustainable level that will enhance our community and way of life for many generations, while also acquiring funds to support current needs.
To keep an endowment fund sustainable, a maximum of 5% can be awarded annually; in other words, if the endowment fund has a $100,000 balance, $5,000 can be given out each year.
We will continue to build up the endowment until it reaches a sustainable level that meets our local needs. As we continue to build the endowment, we have set up a project fund for current projects and immediate needs.
Committee Members
| Faye Auchenpaugh | Stacey Hron |
| Edie Brandli | Alison Bernier |
| Jake Rantanen | Lora Rantanen |
| Deb Tveitbakk | Darryl Tveitbakk |
| Jan Strandlie | Jim Strandlie |
| Kirsten Michalke | |
Fund Types
Endowment Fund
An Endowment Fund is a powerful tool, providing a source of ongoing financial support for community projects in perpetuity. The principal behind this is like planting an apple tree. You plant and nurture an apple tree and enjoy the fruit for years to come. Similarly, with an endowment fund, once it is established, only a portion of the earnings of the funds are pulled out, leaving the principal to continue to earn and produce financial returns into the future.
Project Fund
The Project Fund gives out the funds it receives each year through requests and then distributes the funds as determined by local committee members.