Our Mission, Vision and Rich History

Mission

Building a better community through creative philanthropy, vision and leadership.

Vision

Continue to be the trusted resource for growing philanthropy and leading change to improve our community.

History

It all started on Christmas Eve of 1951, when a small group of friends gathered to sign incorporation papers establishing the Hamilton Community Foundation. Those founders were: Cyrus J. Fitton, William Murstein, Huntington V. Parrish, Frederick A. Reister, Robert M. Sohngen, William J. Wolf and W. Otis Briggs, Jr. 

The Hamilton Community Foundation is a result of the interest and efforts of this small group of civic-minded Hamiltonians who envisioned a non-profit, charitable organization to help improve the quality of life for the community and its citizens. 

An initial gift of $5,000 from William Murstein started the Foundation on its way. Growth came slowly. It took 15 years for the organization to accumulate $500,000, but in recent years – as more and more citizens have learned of the Foundation and its work - the Foundation's assets have grown rapidly. 

The same spirit of humanity which inspired the founding fathers still motivates thousands of people today to contribute time, money and effort to continue our Mission and Vision.