By uniting a community of influential philanthropic groups, the Ogden Circle of Giving, the Dr. Ezekiel R. and Edna Wattis Dumke Foundation, and the Community Foundation of Utah (CFU) have together facilitated a partnership to grant $60,000 annually to nonprofits and create an impact in Ogden. Their legacy of giving will uplift the Northern Utah area for generations to come.
Investing in community is foundational to CFU, where we seek to create giving solutions so donors can give to their community with ease. Our core values of longevity, innovation, and collaboration guide our work to foster a brighter future for Utah.
Giving More Through Collaboration
In 2019, a group of women in Ogden came together with the desire to learn more about philanthropy. They sought to increase their impact by giving together, establishing the Ogden Circle of Giving (OCOG) to create a sustainable giving model for their community.
“We were young professionals who organically found our way to each other through our active interests in community, education, and athletic events. Our friendship has grown deeper, more meaningful roots through our collective belief in the power of giving,” shared Dr. Mikelle Barberi-Weil, Weber State University Professor and founding member of OCOG.
Through state-wide relationships developed over years, the OCOG tasked CFU to be their fiscal sponsor and philanthropic consultant. Micaela Weil, CFU’s Director of Philanthropy, led the OCOG through a giving facilitation to explore their shared giving values. After setting their mission, the OCOG created an impact measurement model to evaluate the alignment of grantee applicants with their values.
"Creating a giving rubric with the Ogden Circle of Giving was incredibly enlightening. It was helpful for the group to have objective measures when reviewing grant applications and will ensure that the OCOG stays within its mission and grantmaking values set forth for generations," Micaela Weil said.
With a clear mission and giving rubric, the OCOG were prepared to make an impact on the Ogden area. CFU assisted them in the work of giving collective grants to promote positive change through creativity, innovation, education, and enhanced well-being.
Ogden Circle of Giving
A Lasting Legacy of Giving
The Dr. Ezekiel R. and Edna Wattis Dumke Foundation (Dr. Dumke Foundation) has a legacy of philanthropy carried on from the influential philanthropists Zeke and Edna. The Dr. Dumke Foundation has deeply affected the Ogden area by supporting medical advancements, higher education, environmental preservation, and arts development for their community.
With an established foundation in the Ogden area, the Dr. Dumke Foundation felt passionate about building a long term giving plan. Over the course of several years the Foundation developed a relationship with CFU to strategize for the Foundation’s future.
"Our grandparents were proud of their Ogden roots. It was fitting, then, that as the Foundation directors began a sunsetting plan that Ogden be a significant beneficiary of the funds,” said Claire D. Ryberg, Dr. Dumke Foundation Director.
CFU was engaged to counsel the Dr. Dumke Foundation through the process of converting their Foundation into a Donor Advised Fund so they could continue their charitable legacy with ease. In 2022 the Dr. Ezekiel R. and Edna Wattis Dumke Foundation Charitable Fund was established to serve the Ogden area.
Ezekiel (Zeke) and Edna Wattis Dumke
Finding Innovative Opportunities
CFU saw an opportunity to connect these two philanthropic groups to form a relationship for the greater good of Ogden. Their shared values provided a way for the Dr. Dumke Foundation to continue their charitable legacy with a touchpoint in the Ogden community.
“The collaboration of CFU and Ogden Circle of Giving provided the ideal vehicle to create relevant and ongoing grants from the founders," said Claire D. Ryberg.
Through this partnership, the charitable fund grants to the Ogden community annually and the OCOG helps decide where to give those grants. The OCOG now accepts applications and awards funding to projects on behalf of the fund in three Ogden-centric focus areas — improving access to healthcare, advancing civic and arts efforts, and uplifting early childhood programs and education.
In 2023, the OCOG awarded the first grantmaking cycle from the fund to two organizations committed to serving the underserved communities of Northern Utah. Seager Memorial Clinic and YCC Family Crisis Center received $29,000 each from the Dr. Ezekiel R. and Edna Wattis Dumke Foundation Charitable Fund to establish a free medical clinic and support a new transitional housing facility for victims of violence.
By understanding the long term goals of these two philanthropic groups, CFU was able to connect them with resources to serve the needs of their community. CFU’s commitment to convene and assist philanthropists across the state continues to allow for innovating giving models in ways that best serve the needs of our state. As Utah’s Partner in Philanthropy, CFU is proud to help the Dr. Dumke Foundation and the OCOG share their generosity with the Ogden area.
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