Find the Right Fund for Your Philanthropic Goals
Start a Fund, Create a Legacy
Through the Community Foundation, you can establish a variety of funds tailored to individuals, families, businesses, and community organizations. A fund at the Foundation offers the flexibility to support the causes you care about in the way that works best for you—whether through immediate giving or by investing your gift to grow over time and create a lasting impact.
Unlike a one-time donation, a fund has the potential to make a difference for generations to come. Each fund is designed to honor the wishes of the donor, ensuring that your charitable vision is carried out in the way you intend. For those who choose to, the Foundation can grow and give out your gift over time, allowing you to support your philanthropic goals both during your lifetime and even as part of your legacy.
Opening and maintaining a charitable fund is simple. You can start with a gift of $5,000 or more in cash, stock, or retirement assets ($10,000 for a scholarship fund) and experience the community impact, ease, and tax advantages that a fund provides. Not ready to begin at that level? Consider starting an Acorn Fund with a smaller initial gift and grow it over time until it reaches the minimum needed to activate a full charitable fund.
Unrestricted Funds
An Unrestricted Fund is one of the most dynamic ways to give, ensuring your gift can adapt to the ever-changing needs of the community. Each year, the Foundation’s board carefully directs grants from these funds to areas of greatest need—ranging from human services and youth programs to the arts and beyond. Many donors choose to establish these funds in honor or memory of a loved one, creating a lasting legacy of community impact.
Donor Advised Funds
A Donor Advised Fund offers flexibility and involvement for those who want to take an active role in their charitable giving. Donors contribute to the fund as often as they like, receive immediate tax benefits, and recommend grants to their favorite nonprofits, locally or nationally, at their own pace. Whether you want to support a variety of causes, engage your family in philanthropy, or give strategically over time, a Donor Advised Fund allows you to maximize your impact with ease.
Scholarship Funds
By establishing a Scholarship Fund, you are investing in education and shaping futures. These funds provide financial support to students at all levels—from preschool to adult learners—helping them achieve their academic and career goals. Donors can customize their scholarship criteria to support students from a specific high school, university, field of study, or geographic area, creating a lasting impact on the next generation.
Designated Funds
A Designated Fund allows you to provide ongoing, lasting support to one or more nonprofit organizations that matter most to you. As an endowed fund, your gift is invested to ensure perpetual annual grants to your chosen organization(s), helping sustain their mission for years to come. It’s a simple and effective way to leave a legacy of impact while ensuring continued support for the causes you care about.
Field of Interest Funds
Think of a Field of Interest Fund as planting the seeds of change in the area that matters most to you. You choose the field—whether it’s education, human services, the arts, environmental conservation, or another cause close to your heart—and the Foundation ensures that your charitable dollars grow and are directed where they are needed most. While the Foundation makes the final granting decisions, your fund will always support efforts within your chosen area, ensuring your impact continues to flourish for generations.
Acorn Fund
An Acorn Fund is a simple and flexible way to grow into a named fund at the Foundation over time. With no minimum starting gift required, donors can set aside contributions—whether through monthly or annual gifts—until they reach the required minimum to establish their chosen fund. Most donors reach this goal within five years, building their charitable impact at a pace that works for them. There are no fees for Acorn Funds, and if a donor does not reach their funding goal, the gifts will be converted into an Unrestricted Fund, continuing to benefit the community.
Corporate Fund
A Corporate Fund is a flexible and strategic giving tool for businesses and employee groups looking to make a meaningful impact. Whether supporting local nonprofits, responding to community needs, or aligning giving with corporate values, this fund allows companies to be actively involved in recommending grants. It’s an easy and effective way for businesses to give back, strengthen their community presence, and event potentially create a lasting philanthropic legacy.
The Power of an Endowment
An endowed fund is a gift that keeps giving—growing over time while making annual grants to causes you care about. For example, the Georgia Lukes Fund, established in 1973 with just over $15,000, has since provided more than $70,000 in community grants while continuing to grow.
Want to learn more about how endowments work and their long-term impact?
