Donor Advised Funds Overview

Donor Advised Funds are one of the fastest growing areas of charitable giving. These funds, established through the Community Foundation, allow donors and their families to participate in the research, selection, and awarding of grant dollars.

Donor Advised Funds may be established to benefit any area of charitable need in St. Clair County, with the donors assisting the Foundation in the selection process.

Donor Advised Funds operate under these general guidelines and policies:

1. A minimum fund balance of $25,000 is required before grants can be made from the fund.
2. The donors and/or an advisory committee of the donor and their family may be established at the time of the gift to make recommendations on grants from the fund.
3. Legally, all recommendations made by the donor or their advisory committee are recommendations only, with the final approval made by the Trustees of the Foundation.
4. As with all endowment funds at the Community Foundation, assets in Donor Advised Funds are owned and controlled by the Community Foundation.
5. Foundation staff and/or volunteers will conduct research on all recommendations to ensure that they are consistent with the mission of the Community Foundation.
6. Donor Advised Funds can be created at no cost to your clients, through outright gifts of cash or stock, real estate, Charitable Remainder Trusts, or Gift Annuities.

To learn more about creating a Donor Advised Fund, please contact us.

Downloads

• Sample Donor Advised Fund Agreement
• Donor Advised Fund Grant Recommendation Form

Additional Information

• Establishing a Fund
• Giving Options
• Charitable Gift Annuity
• Charitable Remainder Trust
• Charitable Lead Trust
• MI Community Foundation Tax Credit

Tools & Links

• Gift Benefit Calculator
• Guidestar (Research Nonprofits)
• Michigan Community Foundations
• Planned Giving Design Center

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