I am an individual or family

Set up a charitable fund with the Community Foundation

Having a fund with the Community Foundation is like having a charitable foundation of your own – but more affordable and cost effective. Our giving platform ensures your fund will make the biggest difference possible (now and for the future) and is aligned to local need. You decide where and when you want to give grants and we help you using our local knowledge and expertise.

We manage all aspects of your fund, which means that you don’t need to manage trustees or staff, charitable reporting, Gift Aid claims, auditors, checking the background of charitable groups you are giving to, or other onerous requirements.

Giving through the Community Foundation, you’ll be supporting “unsung and unseen” grass roots organisations that work within our communities without the resources for dedicated fundraising.

We can set up a Fund for any amount above £6999 and you can top it up (or not) whenever you like. We manage three kinds of donor funds:

Endowment Funds

These are donations that we invest for charitable income in perpetuity. Your gift will always be there, generating income for local challenges and needs for generations to come. The larger the endowment, the more vital local support is generated and given, forever.

Many families and individuals choose an invested fund as it can be passed down to future generations, giving year after year to build a lasting, vital local legacy. We ask for a contribution to operating costs of 5% per donation and 1-3% per year.

Spend down or “flow through” Funds

These are donations spent entirely within a timescale, again to your direction. Many companies, central and local government departments, and organisations like the National Emergencies Trust and the NHS choose this swift, high-profile, reportable way of supporting the local area. We ask for a contribution to operating costs of 10—15% depending on your requirements.

Combined Funds – a combination of Endowment and Spend-down

These are simply funds which have both an endowment and a spend-down part – to the balance that you choose: 50/50, 60/40; you decide.

Whichever Fund you choose, we always:

  • Give grants to your direction (within our broad, charitable objectives as below)
  • Deliver a fair and transparent grant giving process for you – highly regarded by charitable groups and external assessors.
  • Ensure all grants are made via a level playing field: an application (support provided if needed) careful assessment of budget, need and viability; a grant agreement to ensure the money is spent as intended, and feedback once spent. We can even arrange visits to groups you helped.
  • Maintain intelligence of the local area and its needs, and the charitable, voluntary and community groups working with those needs.
  • Send you annual audited reports so you can keep track of your giving.

 

If you'd like to find out more, please get in touch with us

Contact:
Katy Green
katy.green@llrcommunityfoundation.org.uk