Our Mission is to assist donors to build an enduring source of charitable assets to benefit Ripley County. A community foundation is a vehicle for people of all means to make a lasting difference in their community. The central purpose is to serve the needs and philanthropic aims of donors who wish to better their community, now and in the future. In 1990, Lilly Endowment Inc. of Indianapolis, through their GIFT (Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow) Initiative encouraged all counties in Indiana to create community foundations to serve their residents. The Ripley County Community Foundation, Inc. was formed in February 1997. The effort to create the Foundation was a result of the vision of a group of philanthropic minded Ripley County residents who wanted to improve the quality of life for Ripley County residents. The growth of the Foundation through the years has been encouraged not only by Lilly Endowment Inc. but by Rising Sun Regional Foundation. Both Foundations have consistently offered the Foundation opportunities for growth through their grants, training and leadership. The residents of Ripley County have responded to the Foundation by creating endowment funds and or giving to established funds to support the charitable organizations in the County and to give back to the County in a way that will forever change the County for the good of all.