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A Variety of Fund Options for Purposeful Giving

At the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County, our experienced staff empowers individuals, families, and businesses to advance their philanthropic giving strategy and financial goals. We make it easy to establish and name a component fund with CFAAC offering a variety of options tailored to your needs. Whether you seek to create a Scholarship Fund, support the arts, or address environmental needs, our expert staff will guide you through the process. Working closely with your professional advisors, we will design unique gift plans to maximize your tax benefits while ensuring your contributions make a meaningful impact for the causes you care about most. Let’s collaborate on a journey pf purposeful giving that aligns with your values and goals.

Donor Advised Funds

Donor Advised Funds (DAF) by the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County provide individuals and families with a streamlined approach to philanthropy, offering the benefits of a private family foundation without the complexities and expense. With a single gift to CFAAC, you can establish a DAF that allows you to support the causes closest to your heart. Our experienced staff researches each nonprofit you with to support to ensure its credibility and regulatory compliance, simplifying the process for you. Your charitable tax deduction is based solely on your gift(s) to your fund at CFAAC, making recording keeping hassle-fee. Click here to learn about the differences between a Donor Advised Fund and a Private Foundation. 

Benefits of a Donor Advised Fund

  • Simplify Your Giving: With CFAAC’s DAF, you can support the causes you care about most with ease.
  • Make an Impact: Partnering with CFAAC helps you maximize your philanthropic investments and create a lasting impact in the community.
  • Consult with Experts: CFAAC distributes millions of dollars in grants each year to a variety of nonprofits, ensuring your contributions address critical community needs.
  • Choose Your Timing: Enjoy an immediate tax deduction for your gift to CFAAC, allowing you to donate when it is most financially beneficial to you.
  • Choose Your Nonprofits: Recommend grants to qualified U.S. nonprofit organizations through your fund, with international organizations considered case by case. CFAAC staff researches that each nonprofit is in good standing before issuing a check from your fund.  Additionally, we can make inquiries on your behalf while protecting your anonymity.

Note: While DAFs and supporting organizations are not eligible for IRA Charitable Rollover gifts, other funds at CFAAC offer this option, including Help Our Neighbors, Grants 4 Teachers, Strengthening Nonprofits, Fund for Anne Arundel, Scholarships, CFAAC’s Community Leadership Fund, and more.

Corporate Advised Fund

Corporate Advised Funds offer several benefits for companies seeking to streamline their philanthropic efforts. With a Corporate Advised Fund, your company can establish a named fund dedicated to its charitable vision, whether targeting specific causes or addressing broader community needs. Our experienced staff will collaborate with your professional advisors to design a giving plan that not only aligns with your company’s goals but also maximizes tax benefits. Additionally, by leveraging a Corporate Advised Fund, your company can effectively publicize its giving initiatives, enhancing its reputation as a socially responsible corporate citizen within our community.

Benefits of Corporate Advised Funds:

  • Streamlined Philanthropy: Simplify your company’s charitable giving efforts with a dedicated Corporate Advised Fund.
  • Tailored Giving: Work with our experienced staff to establish a named fund that reflects your company’s charitable vision and objectives.
  • Professional Guidance: Collaborate with your professional advisors to design a giving plan that aligns with your company’s goals while maximizing tax benefits.
  • Impactful Contributions: Support specific causes or address broader community needs through strategic and impactful philanthropic initiatives.

Field of Interest Funds

Field of Interest Funds offer a targeted approach to philanthropy, allowing you to focus your contributions on specific areas that align with your passions, such as education, youth, health, the arts, and the environment. These funds provide a broad yet focused scope to meet the diverse needs of the community. At CFAAC, our experienced staff and grants committees leverage their expertise to identify, evaluate, and award grants to the most impactful organizations and programs within your chosen field of interest. By contributing to one of CFAAC’s Field of Interest Funds, you not only support causes close to your heart but also benefit from the knowledge and strategic allocation of funds by our dedicated team. To make a gift to any of these funds, simply click on the fund name: Arts & Culture Anne Arundel, Community Crisis Response Fund, Environment Anne Arundel, Fund for Anne Arundel, Grants 4 Teachers Fund, Help Our Neighbors Fund, Strengthening Nonprofits Fund, Women & Girls Fund of Anne Arundel County.

Benefits of Field of Interest Funds:

  • Targeted Philanthropy: Focus your contributions on specific areas of interest, such as education, health, or the environment.
  • Expert Evaluation: Benefit from the expertise of our staff and grants committees who carefully evaluate and select the most qualified organizations and programs.
  • Community Impact: Support initiatives that address critical needs within the community, making a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
  • Strategic Giving: Make informed decisions about where your contributions will have the greatest impact, ensuring your philanthropy aligns with your values and goals.
  • Amplified Impact: Pool resources with like-minded donors to help create transformational change in areas of need, fostering lasting improvements within our community.

Scholarship Funds

Scholarship Funds provide a direct way to help deserving students pursue their academic goals, spanning from preschool to postgraduate studies. You have the flexibility to specify the field of study, eligibility requirements, tailoring your support to align with your values.  Additionally, you have the flexibility to define guidelines for the scholarship’s advisory committee, the educational institution, and the selection criteria for award recipients. Whether you choose to name the fund in support of yourself or in memory of a loved one, your contribution empowers students to pursue their educational aspirations, fostering their personal and professional growth.

CFAAC Scholarship Funds:

Designated Funds

Designated Funds offer you the opportunity to support specific nonprofit organizations or causes on an annual basis, ensuring perpetual assistance to causes close to your heart. Your contribution is invested for long-term growth, providing sustained support to the organization(s) you select. CFAAC’s experienced staff ensures that grants to these organizations remain pertinent over time, adapting to evolving circumstances. If the designated organization ceases operations or no longer delivers the services you wish to support, our staff will work with you to identify alternative organizations aligned with your philanthropic goals. Additionally, Endowed Designated Funds are eligible for Endow MD tax credits, providing lasting benefits for contributors to a permanently endowment fund.

Nonprofit Agency Endowed Funds

Nonprofit Agency Endowed Funds established at CFAAC by nonprofit organization boards ensure sustainable support for their programs or operations. These funds offer long-term stability, with earnings from the principal supporting the organization’s mission. By partnering with CFAAC, nonprofits benefit from efficient fund management, investment expertise, and a constant income source. With a minimum of $25,000, organizations can establish named funds that reflect their mission or honor donors. CFAAC handles fund management, reporting, and distribution, providing quarterly financial updates and online access for transparency. Invested in CFAAC’s Long-Term Growth pool, these funds offer maximum returns with reasonable risk and reduced management costs. Additionally, nonprofits gain visibility through CFAAC’s promotional efforts, becoming community fundraising partners. Endow Maryland tax credits further incentivize contributions, ensuring enduring support for Anne Arundel County.

Why Establish a Nonprofit Agency Endowment Fund at CFAAC?

  • Permanence: Building a permanent endowment ensures long-term success, assuring donors that they are contributing to a stable, growing organization.
  • Efficiency: Nonprofit Agency Endowment Funds can be established with a minimum of $25,000, with the ability add to the endowment at any time.
  • Fund Management: CFAAC manages funds, providing quarterly financial reports, and online access for transparency. Assets are recorded on the organization’s balance sheet.
  • Investment Expertise: Endowment Funds are invested in CFAAC’s Long-Term Growth pool, reducing costs and allowing exposure to sophisticated investment vehicles.
  • Income:
  • Visibility: CFAAC promotes organization endowments throughout the community, enhancing visibility and fundraising efforts.

Giving Circles

Giving Circles at CFAAC empower members to be active changemakers in philanthropy, uniting passionate individuals to support impactful grantmaking, education, advocacy, and community activities. By pooling resources, members amplify their impact and address pressing social issues collaboratively. Through collective decision-making, they allocate funds strategically, maximizing positive outcomes and fostering deeper engagement with important causes.

Joining or creating a giving circle at CFAAC is an empowering opportunity to amplify your impact, connect with like-minded individuals, and make a tangible difference in your community.

Fund Administration

CFAAC assesses a fee to help defray the costs associated with the administration and investment of the fund. These fees encompass various administrative tasks, including but not limited to, conducting due diligence procedures, acknowledging contributions, processing and distributing grants, and ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations. Additionally, the fees contribute to providing Fund Holders with access to the Fund Advisor Portal for online management and support CFAAC’s comprehensive donor services designed to enhance advisors’ giving and philanthropic experience.

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