The Community Foundation is also proud to offer an extensive portfolio of services to families in the Lehigh Valley region who want to maximize the impact of their charitable giving. We support family philanthropy with research, provide grantmaking support, administrative services, networking, asset management, and philanthropic advising.
Let the Community Foundation Guide your Philanthropic Pathway. Learn about our new EverGreen Fund. Start a new fund or move all or part of your family foundation to an EverGreen Fund at LVCF.
Funds are classified as endowed or nonendowed
- Endowment funds, also known as permanent funds, provide grants in perpetuity by applying a “spending policy rate” to determine what percentage of the fund’s assets are available for grantmaking. The current rate is 4.5% of the average fund balance over three years.
- Nonendowed funds, also known as temporary funds, allow grants at any time and in any amount.
Agency Funds
Establishing an agency fund allows a nonprofit to focus on its mission while benefiting from the operational efficiencies, oversight, and visibility that LVCF offers.
Area-of-Interest Funds
An area-of-interest fund supports programs & initiatives that tackle issues of your choosing, such as the environment, camperships, or no-kill animal shelters.
The Community Foundation leverages donors’ resources with other like-minded people who care to have a greater impact than any one of us could make alone. From personalized foundations, unique asset gifts and legacy planning, we manage a diverse portfolio of charitable giving solutions.
- A foundation-directed area-of-interest fund awards grants based on the recommendations of a community committee that oversees a specific initiative.
- A donor-directed area-of-interest fund awards grants based on LVCF’s own community research to identify worthy charitable programs in the specified area-of-interest.
Community Investment Funds
Community Investment Funds make sure the needs of tomorrow’s Lehigh Valley are met. Donors rely on the deep community knowledge & experience of the Community Foundation to support the effective work of nonprofits throughout the region, forever.
Designated Funds
Name specific nonprofits to receive grants, and we will make those grants over time. Should circumstances significantly change, our board can put the money to use for other similar charitable work. Giving parameters are set at the time the fund is established, so your giving is on auto-pilot. It is the most common way to preserve your charitable legacy.
Donor-Advised Funds
These funds are a simple and powerful charitable giving solution that offers the ability to separate the tax decision from the giving decision. Donors remain involved in their philanthropy by working with LVCF’s experienced grantmaking staff to suggest ongoing uses for the fund—supporting the causes you care about most. You recommend a grant, we do the paperwork and due diligence. We offer personalized service and deep community knowledge—a true partner in philanthropy.
Geographic Affiliate Funds
A geographic affiliate fund serves a defined geographic region that is near, but not in, LVCF’s primary service area. The affiliate organizes its own advisory committee and establishes its own priorities. The committee makes recommendations for the grants that will come from the local discretionary funds. It also cultivates donors to raise new funds.
Upper Bucks Community Fund of the Lehigh Valley
• The Bucks County Free Library Endowment Fund
Scholarship & Award Funds
These funds allow donors to invest in the future by helping deserving students pursue higher education. Students benefit from the financial assistance as well as the academic recognition of being a scholarship recipient.
Unrestricted Funds
The flexibility of unrestricted giving enables the Community Foundation to respond to the community’s most pressing needs, including its own operations, today and tomorrow.
ASK CARRIE | Ask me which type of fund and gifts are right for you and how the Community Foundation can help you create a lasting legacy and make a difference in the community….
Carrie Krug Nedick
Director of Donor Services
840 West Hamilton Street
Suite 310, Allentown, PA 18101
610 351-5353 Ext. 10
carrie@lvcfoundation.org