Types of Funds
Learn More: Give | Establish Your Fund | Ways to Give | Memorial Gifts | Givings Tips | Our Funds
There are several types of charitable funds available to support your giving. Choose the one that matches your personal approach to giving and your charitable intent. Our staff is eager to discuss these options with you and to help you select one that matches your giving needs.
What do you want to do?
Give to a specific charitable organization of which you are particularly fond?
With $100, James Cooper created an endowed fund at Marion Community Foundation. At his passing, the proceeds of his IRA increased the fund so that it will provide a gift of roughly $2000* to St. Mary in James’ name every year – forever.
Start a Designated Fund
Donors who wish to support a specific nonprofit organization or program can do so with a designated fund. This is for the donor who has a special fondness for a particular charity – perhaps because of a history as a volunteer or Board member, or because the organization helped someone significant in their life – and wishes to support it beyond his or her lifetime. With a designated fund, you can specify one or more nonprofit organizations to receive annual grants and support the good work they do in our community.
Donors can create a new designated fund, or contribute to an existing one.
Support a specific cause through a variety of projects and organizations?
Makes grants in support of the arts – specifically live theater and dance – that Kathy so dearly loved.
Start a Field of Interest Fund
Field of Interest funds support causes that are close to your heart. They allow you to focus your charitable giving toward an area that is of interest and importance to you – the arts, education, healthcare, etc. – and support local organizations doing the best work in that field. Field of interest funds can support particular interest areas, specific program initiatives, causes or geographic areas.
Be actively involved tin your philanthropic decision-making?
This donor advised fund was created in 2014 by Susan E. Brown to honor her uncle and aunt, James & Margaret Coulson.
Start a Donor Advised Fund
Donor Advised funds are established by those who wish to be active in their philanthropy, allowing you to recommend charitable
projects or organizations for support. Donor advised funds can support different nonprofits each year. And, it is easy to give to multiple nonprofits through a donor advised fund.
Give when and where the need is greatest in our community?
This unrestricted fund was created by their son Charles and his wife, Mary, and is supported by the Roberts family to this day.
Start an Unrestricted Fund
Unrestricted funds are our most flexible type of charitable fund. In creating this type of fund, you allow our Board of Directors to set priorities and make awards to support the most pressing and
changing charitable needs of our community, as they arise..
Invest in future generations by supporting local students’ educational opportunities?
Started in honor of their son, this scholarship fund supports higher education for Eagle Scouts.
Start a Scholarship Fund
The creation of a scholarship fund is attractive to many donors and can be structured to benefit students at any education level – for college and university programs, trade schools, and professional programs like medical and law school; from high school seniors to college-level graduate students. You can establish the scholarship’s criteria – to support students attending your alma mater, pursuing a specific career field, who demonstrate significant financial need, or a host of other options. They are often created to honor or memorialize a loved one.
Support your nonprofit organization’s own programs and operations in perpetuity?
Created in 2005, this fund both honors its namesakes and annually benefits Emanuel Lutheran Church.
Start an Agency Fund
Agency funds (sometimes referred to as an organizational endowments) are for nonprofits organizations to set aside funds for specific programming, provide security for unforeseen obstacles, prepare for planned growth, or build an investment strategy.
An Agency Fund protects the capital of an organization, demonstrates long-term financial planning, and can also provide a relatively steady source of income. This type of fund gives the organization’s loyal and regular supporters a convenient place to make donations which will permanently support the cause.
Learn More: Give | Establish Your Fund | Ways to Give | Memorial Gifts | Givings Tips | Our Funds
