Fund Types and Ways To Give
Create A Giving Strategy
Every day Forever Lancaster works closely with individuals and families, as well as trusted professional advisors, to craft effective giving strategies that realize your philanthropic goals. We have a wide range of giving options at the Community Foundation to support your giving.
Forever Lancaster is here to match your giving goals with the right type of fund. We bring together local expertise and endowment knowledge to help amplify your philanthropic impact.
Fund Types
Corporate Advised Fund
Description
A fund set up by a corporation that allows your team to flexibly decide which community benefit organizations to support. Multiple donors to contribute. Can be endowed or spend-down.
Ideal For
Businesses looking for a partner in corporate philanthropy, ways to reduce the administration of donations, and support in philanthropic strategy.
Charitable Gift Annuity
Description
A planned giving option that allows you and/or loved ones to receive a fixed income stream for life and to make an endowed contribution to the charitable organization or cause of your choice.
Ideal For
Donors looking to support a specific cause, organization, or the Lancaster County community generally, while providing themselves with an income source they can count on for the rest of their life.
Designated Fund
Description
Provides ongoing, permanent support to one or more community benefit organizations or charitable programs.
Ideal For
A donor interested in benefiting a specific organization on an annual basis in perpetuity while living or as a part of a will
Donor Advised Fund
Description
Offers flexibility by allowing one or two donors to recommend grants to charitable projects or organizations.
Can be endowed or spend-down.
Ideal For
A donor looking to have flexibility and direct decision-making influence over the use of charitable funds.
A private foundation looking to ease its administrative burden and convert its funds.
Field of Interest Fund
Description
Supports a broad area of charitable interest, such as the environment, the arts, or education. The Foundation awards grants to charitable programs within the field of interest and has the flexibility to respond to changing opportunities within that field.
Ideal For
A donor interested in benefiting a broad range of organizations within a particular field.
Flex Fund
Description
Community benefit organizations that currently have an endowment of $50,000 or more can open this fund, which allows for the entire balance to be accessed at any time.
Ideal For
Organizations with existing endowments and resources that want to earn interest while being accessible. Also ideal for capital campaigns.
Giving Circle
Description
Individuals bring resources and knowledge together to make a meaningful impact. Multiple individuals contribute to a common cause and collectively decide where to grant.
Ideal For
A group looking to participate in philanthropy in a collaborative way.
A group of individuals passionate about a cause and pooling their resources to create impact
Organizational Endowment
Description
A fund that is set up by a community benefit organization to be endowed permanently and allow gifts from other donors to be accepted. Annual spendable amount provides unrestricted income to the organization.
Ideal For
An organization starting or expanding a planned giving program.
An established organization looking to create regular, unrestricted funding over the long-term.
An organization that has received a large bequest.
Scholarship Fund
Description
The donor determines field, amount, and nature of the award. Application and award process managed by the Community Foundation benefits students at any educational level.
Ideal For
An individual looking to memorialize a loved one.
An individual looking to benefit students pursuing a specific area of study.
Fund Forms and Resources
The Forever Lancaster team is here to help you shape your giving strategy. We are available to talk with you about ways to maximize your impact and meet your philanthropic goals.
Ways to Give
The Community Foundation can accept a wide range of assets, helping you convert resources into charitable impact. The types of gifts we accept is guided by our Foundation gift acceptance policy.
You can give to a fund via check made out to the Lancaster County Community Foundation, with the fund’s name listed in the memo line. Our mailing address is 24 W. King Street, Suite 201, Lancaster, PA 17603. You can also give online by credit card to many community funds.
Non-Cash Assets
Please reach out to discuss any questions you have about gifting non-cash assets.
| Type | Benefits |
| Art, Collectibles, Other Tangible Property | Convert unused assets into gifts for charity. Eliminate capital gains tax. |
| Closely Held Securities (business interests) | Eliminate or reduce capital gains tax. Eligible for income or estate tax charitable deduction. Receive a stream of income. Diversifying portfolio. Benefit charitable causes now and/or in the future. |
| Life Insurance | Ease of setup. Allows you to name a beneficiary. Create a lasting legacy. Specify how the gift should be used (ex. multiple funds or organizations). |
| Private Foundation Conversion | Allows flexibility to address foundation’s mission. Protects generational priorities. Calibrates the spend rate. |
| Publicly-traded Securities – stocks, mutual funds, ETFs | Eliminate long-term capital gains taxes. Eligible for income tax deduction of full fair market value. Ease of adding assets to an existing fund. |
| Real Estate | Eliminating or reducing capital gains tax. Eligible for income or estate tax deduction. No longer managing portfolios. Diversifying portfolio. Benefitting your favorite causes. |
| Retirement Funds | Ease of setup. Allows you to name a beneficiary for charitable purposes. Create a lasting legacy. Specify how the gift should be used (ex. multiple funds or organizations). |
| Will or Trust | No cost today. Clarity for loved ones and next generation. Amount can be specified in absolute amounts or in percentages. |
For Donors
What do you want to achieve with your giving? It’s a simple question with unlimited potential for impact. We work closely with individuals and families like you from across the county to amplify your impact in giving.
For Professional Advisors
Since 1924, generous community members and their trusted advisors have relied on the Lancaster County Community Foundation’s philanthropic knowledge and expertise to amplify their giving and positively impact this extraordinary community.
