Your Giving, Your Way: Selecting the Right Fund Type for Your Goals
Establishing your own fund at the Community Foundation offers a powerful way to make a lasting impact in your community while tailoring your giving to reflect your values and passions. By creating a fund, you benefit from the Foundation’s expert management, support, and local knowledge, allowing you to focus on the joy of giving while we handle the administration. Whether you want to provide scholarships for deserving students, offer steady support to a favorite nonprofit, or contribute broadly to community initiatives, a fund at the Community Foundation ensures that your philanthropy is handled with care, transparency, and maximum impact.
Choosing the right type of fund depends on your desired level of involvement and the focus of your giving. If you want to actively participate in choosing grant recipients, a Donor Advised Fund or a Designated Fund might be best. If you prefer the Foundation to manage grantmaking, first decide whether you want to support nonprofits or students. Supporting students leads you to a Scholarship Fund, while nonprofits offer two paths: a Field of Interest Fund if you’re passionate about a specific cause, or an Unrestricted Community Endowment if you trust the Foundation to address a broad range of evolving community needs. Essentially, whatever your philanthropic goals may be, we have a fund type that can help you achieve them!
The decision tree attached here offers a visual guide to choosing which fund type is right for you.
For complete lists of funds in each county and further descriptions on each fund type, visit the “Funds” page under each county tab. You can also visit our Establish a Fund page for guidance on how to start that process.
If you have questions, or have chosen a fund type and are ready to start giving, contact our Senior Vice President, Emerald, at 765-454-7298 or emerald@cfhoward.org.
Based on your philanthropic preferences, follow the paths on the fund types decision tree to determine which fund is the right fit for you.