Since 1983 individuals, organizations, businesses and nonprofits have chosen to establish a fund with The Tiffin Community Foundation because it is:

• Your fund accepts any type of gift, including stock. It is named to recognize your organization or loved one and established to benefit your selected cause.
• By protecting principal, your fund is guaranteed to support your cause and grow in perpetuity.
• Managed: The foundation tracks donations, investment transactions and performance.  Distributions to your designated charity or purpose are made on your behalf.
• Easy: A simple fund agreement is signed by you and the foundation.  The agreement identifies the fund, its purpose, and how distributions are made.
• Affordable: An initial investment of $15,000 creates your fund.  Economy of scale reduces the fund’s investment fees and allows your fund to grow.  Foundation fees are only .75% per year.  Total investment costs average less than 1%, among the lowest in the nation.
• Efficient: Because The Tiffin Community Foundation is a public charity tax advantages are maximized.

A permanent charitable or educational fund may be created by entering into a fund agreement with The Tiffin Community Foundation, or by naming The Tiffin Community Foundation as beneficiary in your Will or Trust, and describing your fund and its purpose in that document.

To date, we have over 80 component funds that have been created by individuals, families, businesses, nonprofit and other organizations. A minimum $15,000 contribution can begin now to grow into a source of funding for the future.

The investment of endowment funds is managed to achieve maximum earnings.  All funds are created and maintained as separate funds. However, because of the total of foundation assets, investment charges are greatly reduced.  All correspondence, accounting, federal and state reporting that is required is done by the foundation.  Investment statements are sent to fund donors quarterly.  Once established, a fund grows by additional contributions, reinvestment of dividends and market growth.  Distributions (also called grants) may be designated as net income, or income and principal, or a percentage of the market value.

The Tiffin Community Foundation accepts a wide range of assets to create a fund, and as contributions to existing funds.  Outlined below are examples.

• Cash
• Securities
• Life insurance
• Life income
• Charitable bequests
• Other assets such as real estate or closely held stock

• Decide your charitable interest and mission
• Choose the type of fund that your intent would best qualify for
• Select the name of your fund (look at our established funds for references)
• Decide how you will give to this fund, immediately, deferred gifts, or through your will
• Decide if you would like to contribute with cash, stocks, bonds, or mutual fund.

• Agency Endowment: An agency endowment is a fund or funds held for the benefit of a specific charity or nonprofit organization.  Legally the assets are the property of the community foundation, but they are subject to a restriction that all distributions from the fund must benefit the named donor charity or nonprofit organization. The fund may be established by a transfer of assets directly from the donor or through contributions made by other donors.
• Donor Advised Fund: A fund held by a community foundation where the donor and a committee appointed by the Foundation, may recommend eligible charitable recipients for grants from the fund.  The community foundation’s governing body must accept or reject the recommendations.
• Designated Fund: At the time this fund is created, the donor directs the fund’s annual payout to one or more specific charitable organizations.
• Field of Interest Fund: Rather than direct grants to a single organization at the time the fund is created, the donor specifies interest in a particular program area, such as education, health, or the environment.
• Scholarship Fund: These funds are used to provide support for individuals for tuition assistance, higher education, research, travel, and other kinds of training.  These scholarship grants are paid to the college, university or other education institution for the benefit of the scholar.
• Unrestricted Fund: Also called discretionary funds, these funds offer the most flexibility to the community foundation because they give the discretion to use these funds to serve the changing needs of the community.

• Manage the fund to your terms
• Oversee its investments
• Provide regular disbursements of grants or scholarships
• Correspondence for any contributions made to your fund