Flexible giving meets local expertise.
The St. Louis Community Foundation offers a range of charitable funds, allowing donors to choose the vehicle best suited for their philanthropic and financial needs.
While Donor Advised Funds are our most popular giving fund, we are also a prominent administrator of privately sourced scholarship funds in the region. We help structure funds which honor the giving intentions of donors, meet estate planning goals, and help ensure endowment for the future needs of our community.
| Fund | Description | Features | Minimum Investment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donor Advised Funds | Most popular type of charitable fund, give to your DAF and receive immediate tax benefit, grow the fund tax free, donate to charities at any time, DAFs can also be structured to accept required distributions from private foundations | Convenient, ease to use, superior tax benefits, give at any time, anonymity, receive tax benefits immediately. STLCF ensures donations are made to qualified nonprofits, and provides record keeping and reporting | $10,000 |
| Designated Funds | Allows donors to direct a gift to one or more charitable organizations through a simple fund agreement with no set up costs
|
Helpful estate planning tool, STLCF assures donor’s intentions are honored, Can be funded by IRA QCDs**, or upon death through one’s estate | $10,000 |
| Field of Interest Funds | Donor’s gift targets a specific cause or area of interest through a simple fund agreement with no set up costs.
|
Helpful estate planning tool, STLCF assures donor’s intentions are honored. Can by funded by IRA QCDs**, or upon death through one’s estate. | $10,000 |
| Legacy Funds | Support donor’s causes and/or specific charities after donor has passed, in perpetuity or term of years. Designated Funds, Field of Interest Funds, Community Endowment Fund, can be used for legacy purposes, or legacy assets can be contributed to an existing DAF* | Can be funded with planned gifts such as bequests, charitable gift annuities, life insurance and retirement plan donations. | Variable |
| Scholarship Funds | Support an area of educational interest at any level of education | Donor establishes customized criteria for educational support, STLCF oversees scholarship process and granting. Can be funded by IRA QCDs** or upon death through estate. | $50,000 Endowed
$25,000 Non-Endowed |
| Community Endowment Fund | Donor makes a gift to the STLCF endowment, ensuring long term forever support of community needs | STLCF discretionary fund to support urgent needs in the community, determined annually. Can be funded by IRA QCDs** or through estate upon death. | Any size gift |
| Endowment Funds | Any of the above funds can be designed to continue in perpetuity/forever, where principal is intended to be conserved and grown and income is donated to charities* | Donors can designate that DAFs, Field of Interest Funds and Designated funds be endowed. Funds can also be endowed through contributions to the Community Endowment Fund. | Variable |
| Organizational Support Funds | Administrative support for those with complex philanthropic goals and the desire to create a corporate entity that will perpetuate their philanthropic legacy and intentions | STLCF provides administration, guidance, support, and expertise | $5 million |
| Employee Care Fund | Employee Care Programs are specialized field of interest funds established by companies to provide short-term financial assistance to their employees who have been impacted by natural disasters and/or personal emergency. | Typically funded by the employees and the establishing company. Donations to the program are tax deductible and any assistance received by the employee is tax-free. STLCF handles administrative responsibilities. | Variable |
*Donor Advised Funds cannot accept IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions.
**Qualified Charitable Distribution
