Pictured are National Comedy Center executive director, Journey Gunderson; Chautauqua Region Community Foundation board members, Laura Otander, Don Butler, Lorraine Diggs and Carol Hay; and CRCF executive director, Tory Irgang. Submitted photo

Before the National Comedy Center opened its doors in 2018, officials within the organization were determined to ensure that the national attraction would be able to sustain itself.

By establishing the National Comedy Center Endowment Fund at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, officials could focus on being the nation’s first cultural institution dedicated to comedy.

“Since the beginning, the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation has been a partner in supporting our vision to bring the National Comedy Center to Jamestown,” said Journey Gunderson, National Comedy Center executive director. “When the time came, it was a natural decision to place our endowment with them.”

In addition to managing its endowment, the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors identified the National Comedy Center as a strategic project and awarded dollars from its Fund for the Region to support both construction needs and operational expenses.

Recently, the National Comedy Center received its first distribution from the endowment fund which will be allocated to organizational operations, new programming and technology enhancements.

According to Tory Irgang, CRCF executive director, the Foundation is committed to working with the Center to ensure the dollars they raise, both locally and nationally, will create a lasting impact for future visitors.

“The National Comedy Center’s Endowment Fund is one of 700 charitable funds we administer,” Irgang said. “We are proud to be a trusted partner not only for the organizations looking to create permanent revenues for their operations, but for the donors who wish to create a lasting legacy for their charitable desires.”