Agency Endowments

Make Sure Your Nonprofit Lasts

An Agency Fund is an endowment created by a nonprofit for its own benefit, forever.

It's a simple and efficient way to make sure your organization is financially sustainable. We manage the investment of your endowment, take in contributions, and make distributions to your organization every year while you work on fulfilling your mission.

Your donors can make gifts to your fund at any time, including bequests or other planned gifts that benefit your organization perpetually. We can facilitate even the most complex gift transactions, including gifts of appreciated stock, life insurance, or real estate. We also offer charitable gift annuities that benefit your fund.

Benefits of an Agency Endowment Fund at the Community Foundation:

  1. Establishing an endowment fund creates sustainable income for your organization, and can attract major planned gifts that you might not otherwise receive. Your fund is truly endowed – permanent and protected forever. This is important to donors who want their investment to be their legacy.
     
  2. Because your fund is pooled with hundreds of other funds at the Foundation, your organization benefits from a diverse investment portfolio with outstanding returns that typically come only with very large funds.
     
  3. Similar to commercial investment companies, we charge a small fee (1%) from your fund’s earnings to manage your fund. But unlike for-profit institutions, the fees you pay support your community.
     
  4. The Community Foundation is trusted and well-respected throughout the region, bringing credibility to your organization and your fund.
     
  5. Our professional development staff can help you grow your fund by promoting it to your donors, Foundation donors, and professional advisors in the community who trust us. We will also meet with your major donors and your board to answer their questions.
     
  6. Low minimum investment of $10,000 to open your fund. When the fund reaches $50,000, you may choose to accept distributions up to 4% or reinvest them for optimal growth of your fund. Distributions are calculated on a 12-quarter rolling average to even out market fluctuations.

For more information or to schedule a presentation to your organization’s Board of Directors, contact Laurie Baumer, President & CEO, at lbaumer@ourcommunity.org or Cindy Watters, Vice President of Donor Services, at cwatters@ourcommunity.org.