Creating a Fund – The Guelph Community Foundation

Some people already have a good idea where they would like to donate their money. There is also a surprising number of generous people who just want to give back and strengthen the community they love as part of their financial or estate plan. Either way, we’d like to make it easy for you to invest philanthropically in a way that isn’t a “one time gift and it’s gone”. The endowment approach invests your initial capital donation. Profit from your original investment is gifted every year, forever, to charities doing fantastic work.

Starting a fund

We look forward to guiding you through the steps to establishing a fund with us.
1. Define your philanthropic goals and financial objectives.
2. Select the type of fund that matches your goal and objectives.
3. Decide when you will start your fund, now or in the future, and how much to contribute to achieve your goals.
4. Name your fund. See a full listing of our current funds here.
5. Determine which assets you will use in creating your fund.
6. Sign a fund agreement and make your gift to GCF.
7. Promote your fund to build support for your cause.

To view our easy-to-understand guide for investors, please click here.

Fund Options
We offer many different types of funds, each designed to present something different to our donors, that will suit their philanthropic objectives.

Unrestricted Funds

The flexibility of your unrestricted gift enables The Guelph Community Foundation to respond to the community’s most pressing needs, today and in the future. Your unrestricted gift (of any amount) is then used to make a difference where it is needed most.

Named funds can be established with a gift of $10,000, or emerging funds can be created with pledge commitments. The Foundation evaluates all aspects of community well-being: arts and culture, education, environment, health, social services and more when granting.

Field of Interest Funds

You can target your gift to address needs in an important area of community life. The arts. Aging. Youth at-risk. The environment. You identify your personal interest area when making your gift and The Foundation awards grants to community agencies and programs that are making a difference in the area you select. Your gift stays flexible enough to meet community needs in your interest area – even as they change over time.

Designated Funds

A designated fund provides a wonderful way to give back to one or more specific organizations that have touched your life. It is an effective way to provide ongoing funding for a museum, seniors centre, trail development, or virtually any non-profit charitable organization. You identify the charitable organization(s) that you wish to benefit through your gift and The Foundation manages the annual distribution of funds through grants.

Donor Advised Funds

A donor advised fund offers much of the flexibility of a private foundation, with less cost and administrative work for the donor. For families, it allows you to establish a charitable legacy in your family’s name, fulfill charitable interests and help build a tradition of giving. For corporations, it provides a mechanism for strategic giving and opportunities for employees to be involved in community philanthropy. Working with our local grantmaking experts, you target the issues you care about most. Your recommendations are submitted to The Foundation’s Board of Directors for approval, and we manage the distribution of your grant. It is a powerful and highly personal approach to giving that helps your family or business stay connected to the community. Grants are issued to charities in the name of your fund.

Charitable Endowment Funds

This is an attractive option for local charities that currently manage, or are interested in establishing their own endowment fund. Creating a charitable agency fund allows the organization freedom from investment responsibility and provides a source of income to carry out their work. It also gives donors the confidence of knowing that a permanent foundation is in place to professionally administer the charity’s endowment. Once established, the charity can encourage their supporters to contribute to their endowment fund through living or planned gifts.

Scholarship Funds

You can create a scholarship fund to support the continuing education or training of deserving students by selecting eligibility criteria to express your educational values — or those of your family or business.

You may also wish to transfer an existing Private or Family Foundation to the Guelph Community Foundation. It is cost effective and can ease your workload. You can take advantage of our professional investment management, donor administration and grant making expertise.