The Washington County Community Foundation has been providing a service to charity-minded citizens in our community to realize their philanthropic goals since 1995. We offer three basic types of funds, DISCRETIONARY, DESIGNATED or DONOR ADVISED. However, there are many variations of these three types of funds.
As you review the list of endowment funds, notice the variety of charitable purposes they represent. The minimum contribution to create a named fund is $5,000, which may come from one individual or multiple donors. The Foundation allows up to five years to accumulate the necessary $5,000 (Cherry Tree Fund). All three types of funds can be created during one's lifetime or by bequest. Some funds require different minimums. Click here for details.
1. DISCRETIONARY (UNRESTRICTED) FUNDS
Discretionary funds support the changing and emerging needs of the community. They are the most flexible type of fund. Earnings from discretionary funds are used to support projects in the areas of the arts, education, the environment, health, human needs and religion.
Designated funds specifically benefit the donor's charities of choice or a cause in which the donor believes strongly. The donor makes this designation at the time the fund is created. The annual distribution may be a fixed dollar amount or a specified percentage of available income.
Donor advised funds enable donors to maintain the ability to recommend annually the charitable causes they wish to benefit from the fund. This advisory privilege may be extended to members of the donor's family and so is an ideal way to maintain family involvement. A donor advised fund may be an attractive alternative to operating a private family foundation.