The Importance of Supporting Your Community

Gordon Flesch, the founder of Elevity’s parent organization, the Gordon Flesch Company (GFC), understood that businesses can only thrive if the communities that surround them are also thriving. That spirit of charitable giving has continued through the decades and carries on today within the efforts of the Gordon Flesch Charitable Foundation.

Are you a business leader looking to partner with vendors who value their communities, a Midwestern non-profit searching for funds “to enrich the lives of people in your local community” or a jobseeker looking to connect with an employer who prioritizes social responsibility?

Let me tell you more about the impactful work that the Gordon Flesch Charitable Foundation is doing.

In this article, we’ll discuss:

1. Who is the Gordon Flesch Charitable Foundation?
2. What Types of Organizations Have Received Funds?
3. How Can 501(c)3 Organizations Apply for a Grant? 
   
   Read on to discover more about how Elevity promotes giving back to our community through the Gordon Flesch Charitable Foundation.

Who is the Gordon Flesch Charitable Foundation?

The Gordon Flesch Charitable Foundation is a unique corporate giving program that was founded in 2002. Unlike most corporate giving programs, our Foundation is managed entirely by a Board of Directors composed of employees who volunteer their time to serve. Each member of the Board serves a three-year term representing their regional headquarters area.

The Foundation’s Board of Directors reviews grant request nominations annually from 501(c)3 non-profits located in the communities served by GFC and Elevity, then select award recipients. Grants are generally awarded to non-profits that most closely align with the Foundation’s mission to enrich lives through local community organizations that assist people of all age levels with disabilities, illness, hardship or disasters.

What is it like to be a part of this impactful employee-led corporate Foundation?

“It is incredibly humbling to be a part of the meaningful work that this year’s grant recipients are doing to strengthen our communities,” says Kelly Moran, President of the Gordon Flesch Charitable Foundation. “We are truly honored to support these local non-profits in their efforts to expand their impactful work.”

What Types of Organizations Have Received Funds?

Over the past 22 years, the Foundation has awarded more than $2.5 million to charitable organizations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and South Dakota. Local giving honors the memory of founder Gordon Flesch’s mission to give back to the areas where GFC and Elevity’s employees and customers live and work.

For example, in 2024 we awarded a total of over $179,000 to 39 Midwestern charities providing key community services. The non-profit organizations who received these grants are services that include addressing food insecurity, conducting cancer support groups, rehabilitating homes of persons in need and organizing sport-based positive youth development programs.

In addition to these annual grants, the Foundation also engages in targeted giving for emergency disaster relief. In 2024 funds were allocated to Iowa non-profits for flood relief in affected communities after record-high river levels. In 2023, these funds were sent to assist an Ohio Food Pantry to rebuild after a fire destroyed their warehouse. 

How Can 501(c)3 Organizations Apply for a Grant?

Each year, GFC and Elevity employees are asked to contact local non-profits close to their hearts and close to their communities to encourage them to learn more about the Gordon Flesch Charitable Foundation.

These non-profits, as well as any 501(c)3 that aligns with the Foundation’s mission and is located in a Midwestern community served by GFC or Elevity, are encouraged to apply for the next round of grants. Nominations are accepted from January 1 to March 31 of each year.

Want to learn more as Elevity shines a spotlight on organizations making a positive impact in their communities? Subscribe to the Focus on Outcomes podcast for monthly episodes featuring candid conversations with industry leaders as they uncover the outcomes of their work and the real-world impact they create.