There are many different ways of giving and community foundations will always work with you to help you put your ideas in to practice.
Community foundations typically offer the following selection of funds to clients who may already have their own charitable trust or who don’t have their own trust but want the community foundation to provide them with a vehicle:
Donor advised funds (DAFs)
DAFs give clients real choice and identify projects that they want to support. With a high degree of involvement, they are the most popular type of fund with donors because of their flexibility to meet clients' needs. Clients make recommendations to the community foundation on the projects they want to support.
Field of interest, geographic or themed funds
Help donors who want to contribute with other donors on a specific purpose, place or issue. Clients don't get involved in the specifics of grantmaking but they do enjoy seeing a variety of projects supported in their interest area.
Unrestricted funds (discretionary funds)
The client has an interest to support the community at large and the foundation's trustees use their discretion to allocate the fund's income to a broad range of projects. This is often calledthe area fund i.e. The County Fund.
Directed funds
Are best for donors who wish to support a specific charity. The donor directs the community foundation to pay the fund's income to one or more specific named organisations.
Administrative endowment funds
Are for clients who have an interest in using their donation to generate more giving by supporting the community foundation's work. These funds are established to provide sustainable funding for the community foundation's running costs.