Community Giving

The Paynesville Area Community Foundation (PACF) offers a wide variety of services to donors, professional advisors and nonprofits in the Paynesville area. In addition to a general fund to support grantmaking in the area, PACF provides a variety of fund options, from donor directed and donor advised funds to nonprofit agency endowments.

Mission

The Paynesville Area Community Foundation strives to be known for making impactful grants, fostering a spirit of innovation and collaboration and contributing to a real sense of community pride for those with ties to Paynesville.

Vision

The Paynesville area community will be a vibrant, progressive community with opportunities for all generations to come.

“It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little – do what you can.”
– Sydney Smith

PACF Gala

The Paynesville Area Community Foundation hosts an annual gala to raise support for a different nonprofit each year. The PACF hosted the first annual Gala in 2007. Since then, the Paynesville Area Community Foundation has raised support for:

• Habitat for Humanity projects in the Paynesville area;
• Paynesville Area Center, formerly the Senior Center;
• Let's Go Fishing;
• Paynesville Historical Society;
• Paynesville Baseball Club;
• Koronis Lake Association;
• Crow River Trail Guards;
• Uzone; and,
• Serenity Path.

For upcoming event information, check out the Events page.

Leave Your Legacy

PACF gives individuals and families an opportunity to leave a legacy for future generations by setting up charitable funds which can benefit their favorite charities today into the future. Types of funds include:

• Designated Funds: Direct your grant to a specific, established charity.
• Donor Advised Funds: Recommend your grant go toward a specific, established charity.
• Field of Interest Funds: Recommend your grant go toward a special interest category (i.e. the arts, athletics, scholarships, etc.)
• Unrestricted Funds: Allow the local PACF board to direct your grant to meet the needs of the community.

Learn more about how you can establish a fund at PACF by contacting us at (320) 253-4380, by talking to a member of the PACF board or emailing PACF@communitygiving.org.

Apply For Paynesville Area Community Foundation . . .

Grants

For listings of competitive grant opportunities, please visit the grant page and search for grants which may apply to your organization. Specific criteria, grant guidelines and grant application forms are provided for each grant opportunity.

Scholarships

Through the Paynesville Area Community Foundation, we currently administer two scholarship funds for area students. Through CommunityGiving, you have access to these and other scholarships directed at central Minnesota students, both high school and college level! View scholarship opportunities here; applications open December 1.

History

The Paynesville Area Community Foundation started out as the Paynesville Endowment Commission, which was part of the Paynesville city government. The PEC was set up to provide a way for individuals, families and businesses to bequeath funds for the betterment of the City of Paynesville.

Some local leaders, including then Mayor and current PACF board member Joe Voss, contributed some seed money to the fund. The commission printed pamphlets with what they believed was a comprehensive invitation for bequests, and placed them in the offices of attorneys and estate planners around the area, as well as the city hall lobby, library, banks and many other public places.

In the early 2000s, the City of Paynesville decided the function of handling endowments should be accomplished by forming a stand alone non profit corporation, the Paynesville Area Charitable Trust Fund (which now also legally operates under the name Paynesville Area Community Foundation).

With no official ties to the city, they felt the nonprofit group could appeal to donors that would wish their bequests go to areas other than city functions, while still offering city parks, trails and other city functions as options. Councilman and former PACF board member Dennis Zimmerman formed a group to explore how the transition would take place, and as that group added local professionals, business leaders, and concerned citizens, it evolved into the board of the current Paynesville Area Community Foundation 501(c)(3).

Recognizing that they needed a partner with investment management, charitable giving, and other technical expertise, the nonprofit board began a conversation with the Central Minnesota Community Foundation (CMCF) upon the recommendation of Paynesville business owners and CMCF fund advisors Leo and Luella Louis. After exploring their options, the PACF board decided that partnering with CMCF would maximize their effectiveness, which they did in May 2008.

PACF by the Numbers

*Last updated June 30, 2021

Founded: 2008
Total Assets: $5.4 million
Total FUNDS: 18
Total GRANTS to Date: $758,000

Annual REPORT

CONTACT US!

Paynesville Area Community Foundation

101 7th Ave. S., Suite 100
St. Cloud, MN 56301

Phone: (320) 253-4380
Email: pacf@communitygiving.org