Extending a Hand Across Generations

You learn a lot about a community—and giving— while living there for nearly a century.
Just ask New Canaan's Bill Knobloch.

He's laser-focused on supporting nonprofits that open educational doors for Fairfield County's young people, and on the tax strategies most effective for him to do it.

Bill created the Knobloch Fund at the Foundation in 2001. Since then, he's been lowering his tax rate and building the fund through gifts in the form of appreciated stock. And he's entirely hands-on in selecting these nonprofits his donor-advised fund supports.

"Growing up and living in Stamford for so many years gave me real knowledge of what the community needs and the organizations seeking funding to meet those needs," Bill said.

He relies on his own research and the Community Foundation's deep local expertise to make grant decisions. And he's jumped at the chance to accompany the Foundation's philanthropy staff on tours of youth programs. ("You should go visit, too!" he'd tell you approvingly.)

In Bill's view, mentoring and afterschool programs through nonprofits like Project Music, Starfish Connection, Future 5, and the Stamford Museum and Nature Center could make all the difference in a young person striving to graduate from high school to make a better life.

That's why Bill worked with an estate attorney to create a charitable remainder trust. After his lifetime, the funds will provide enduring support for local youth on their paths to meaningful careers and self-sufficiency.

"Education," he says, "is tremendously important in life."