Three Springfield banks created the Sangamon County Foundation in 1924 to provide financial resources to local charitable causes. As those causes grew, the board of directors saw the need to evolve to better serve area residents. The board voted to reorganize as the Sangamon County Community Foundation in December 2002.
At the time, John Stremsterfer was working at University of Illinois Springfield for the University of Illinois Foundation when one of the Sangamon County Community Foundation’s board members encouraged him to apply for a position to lead the new entity. “I had no idea what a community foundation was at the time,” Stremsterfer said, “but after researching what community foundations do, I was captivated by what it could mean for our community, so I threw my hat in the ring.”
Stremsterfer has been at the helm since April 2003. The organization changed its name to Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln in 2011 to expand its service area. As president and CEO, Stremsterfer has led the Community Foundation from $800,000 to more than $100 million in assets and oversees the development, grant making, expansion and leadership activities.
“There are consistent challenges in getting the word out to the community of how we can assist philanthropic-minded people in creating charitable funds,” Stremsterfer said. “However, more and more people seem to be finding their way to us, as we’ve seen tremendous growth over the past few years. On the grant-making side, it is always a challenge to figure out how to make a meaningful and lasting impact with the funds we are entrusted to steward.”
The Community Foundation has awarded approximately $15 million in grants and scholarships over the past two years across its eight-county service region, which includes Cass, Christian, Logan, Macoupin, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan and Sangamon.
Last year alone, the Community Foundation awarded more than $540,000 in grants to support programs serving older adults. Those included The King’s Daughters Organization Endowment Fund’s grants of $310,000 to 24 programs in Sangamon County supporting services such as utility, prescription and food assistance and home repairs for seniors. The St. Joseph’s Home Legacy of Care Fund provided $235,000 to 11 organizations across the foundation’s eight-county region, funding services such as respite care for senior caregivers, food assistance and training for seniors who have lost all or part of their eyesight. It also awarded a $2 million grant to the Animal Protective League through the Shaffer Family Fund, a field-of-interest fund established by the late Carla Shaffer to support animal welfare in Sangamon County and the American Red Cross of South & West Central Illinois. The funding is supporting construction of a new APL facility.
“The rewards come all the time,” Stremsterfer said. “Meeting generous human beings who want to help others and working with local nonprofit organizations who are on the front lines of improving our community is humbling and inspiring. We get to see a really positive side of humanity at the Community Foundation.”
Stremsterfer sees a lot through his involvement in statewide organizations. He was appointed board chair of the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations last August, an organization with which he has long been involved. “It has been rewarding to see our whole field mature over my career, and I see our collective work having a greater impact throughout the state in the coming years. Community foundations can be an incredible force for good. I’m proud to be chairing our association at such a dynamic time,” he said.
He is also a cochair of the Philanthropy Roundtable in Illinois, along with the leaders of the Chicago Community Trust and Polk Brothers Foundation. This effort, in cooperation with the governor’s office, aims to better coordinate philanthropic and governmental efforts to support people throughout Illinois.
Stremsterfer has experienced many changes in the charitable landscape during his tenure. Among those are the creation of Innovate Springfield, collaborating with donors and other community partners for Heartland Housed to support area homeless, and the foundation’s recent work on Press Forward Springfield to build back local news and information ecosystems. Those are “some of the more rewarding projects I’ve had the privilege to participate in,” he said. “It was also a proud moment when our collective assets topped the $100 million mark over the past year or so.”
In living out the foundation’s mission of “connecting people who care with causes that matter,” the Community Foundation builds permanent charitable resources for the community based on a combination of the donor’s wishes and the needs of our community.
“Other than government,” Stremsterfer said, “I can’t think of any other type of organization that has the potential to be involved in such a variety of issue areas. Our potential is only limited by the resources we are able to build through the generosity of our friends, neighbors and ourselves. From my first day on the job to today, there is nothing I love more than talking to someone about the legacy they wish to leave to our community. Anyone who is interested in giving back to make this place a little better tomorrow than today should give us a call.”
Janet Seitz is a local communications professional, writer and artist. To share your story, contact her at janetseitz1@gmail.com.
This article appears in April SBJ 2026.