Niagara Community Foundation continues the work of the Rittenhouse Legacy

The Niagara Community Foundation (NCF) is honoured to carry on the legacy of Moses F. Rittenhouse with the establishment of the Moses F. Rittenhouse Trust Fund, an opening valuing of just under $500,000. With a legacy of philanthropy, reaching back into the 1800’s in the Vineland community, the Rittenhouse trustees, Doug Holmes, Bill Hodgson and Doug Ransom, are confident, ”Our caring philanthropist's legacy will continue. An outlier from the past, a benefactor today and into the future.”

The Moses F. Rittenhouse Trust Fund will be created as a Donor Advised endowment fund, linking the donor’s legacy with the community. “The Trustees of the Moses F. Rittenhouse Trust have endeavoured to see the monies remain in the Lincoln area. Thus, we chose the Niagara Community Foundation to make the annual proceeds from the Fund available for selected special community projects. These beneficiaries or organizations fit the original requirements or stipulations of the Moses F. Rittenhouse endowment,” notes the three Trustees. The priorities of the Fund include public education, parks & recreation, community gardens and beautification, arts & culture, libraries, natural heritage conservation and local agriculture and food.

“We are pleased to welcome the Moses F. Rittenhouse Trust Fund to the NCF portfolio. Carrying on the philanthropic legacy of Mr. Rittenhouse is our honour and we look forward to stewarding these funds to make a positive impact in Lincoln,” says Bryan Rose, Executive Director of NCF.

Moses Franklin Rittenhouse was a successful businessman from the late 1800 with a strong reputation of community care and stewardship. The Moses F. Rittenhouse Trust has made significant impacts in the Lincoln community, supporting tangible assets such as gardens, the Lincoln Library and the original Mennonite Cemetery in Vineland, as well investing in public infrastructure such as roads and sidewalks to improve public safety.