ECCF is Celebrating 25 Years of Partnership in Essex County
mission
Essex County Community Foundation inspires philanthropy that strengthens the communities of Essex County by managing charitable assets, strengthening and supporting nonprofits and engaging in strategic community leadership initiatives.
impact by the numbers
![Leadership icon Leadership icon](https://www.eccf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/icons8-leadership-100-1.png)
invested in systems-based community leadership initiatives
![Handshake heart icon Handshake heart icon](https://www.eccf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/icons8-handshake-heart-100.png)
individuals directly supported by systems-change efforts
![Mind map diagram icon Mind map diagram icon](https://www.eccf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/icons8-mind-map-100-1.png)
organizations collaborating to address root causes of our most challenging issues
our systems approach
To address our region’s most complex social issues, ECCF employs a new kind of philanthropy, systems philanthropy.
![ECCF Systems Approach image ECCF Systems Approach image](https://www.eccf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/systems-approach-graphic-1.png)
stories of giving
Learn how a business that had once been passed down from father to son became the foundation for charitable giving that would also be passed down from one generation to the next.
stories of giving
When it comes to philanthropy, some people donate their time. Others champion their favorite causes with financial support. Then there are people like Anita Worden who jump in with both feet – because she can, and she believes she should.
stories of giving
Hearing about the devastation left behind by Hurricane Harvey, Michelle and Ben Langille’s two children got an idea. They would pick and sell the apples to raise money to help the thousands of people suffering in the aftermath.
stories of giving
Bill and Mary Wasserman feel passionate that strong arts and culture are critical to enhancing and sustaining a vibrant lifestyle and economic opportunity in Essex County, today and for the future.
stories of giving
The Pelican Intervention Fund, founded by Newburyport residents Kim and Steven Keene and Elizabeth McCarthy, is a grassroots organization created to help men and women struggling with addiction – most notably heroin addiction.
stories of giving
Linda and Jurg Siegenthaler have had a longtime passion for the city of Lawrence. “When I left the city, it was struggling,” said Linda, who grew up in the Tower Hill neighborhood. “Now there’s a lot of effort to bring it back and I want to be a part of that.”
![](https://www.eccf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/StoriesOfGiving-PaulAhern.jpg)
![](https://www.eccf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/StoriesOfGiving-WordenFamily.jpg)
![](https://www.eccf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/StoriesOfGiving-LangilleApples.jpg)
![](https://www.eccf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/StoriesOfGiving-WassermanGroup.jpg)
![](https://www.eccf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/StoriesOfGiving-PelicanFund.jpg)
![](https://www.eccf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/StoriesOfGiving-Siegenthaler.jpg)
get involved
Join us in working to address our biggest challenges and improve the quality of life in Essex County.
the latest eccf news
![Root’s longtime partnership with ECCF helps fuel big impact](https://www.eccf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Root-1-1080x675.jpg)
Root’s longtime partnership with ECCF helps fuel big impact
Supporting nonprofits critical to the foundation’s 25-year mission By Michelle Xiarhos Curran On May 16, 2024, the clouds threatened rain for much of the day. But in the hours leading up to the annual celebration for Salem-based nonprofit Root, the skies cleared,...
ECCF to bring hundreds together at The Cabot to support and celebrate arts and culture
Arts leaders, live music, spoken word and more headline the 2024 Essex County Arts & Culture Summit on Sept. 27 Beverly, Mass – Vin Cipolla, president and CEO of Historic New England, and Harold Steward, executive director of New England Foundation for the Arts,...
A 25-year history of collaboration in Essex County paves the way for new investment in the region
Foundation, investors and social innovators learn more about impact investing together By Michelle Xiarhos Curran Over the course of three days in May, more than 120 investors, innovators and cross-sector community leaders gathered at Smith Hall at Essex North Shore...