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Charitable Funds

Maximize the Impact of Your Giving

Charitable Funds at LVCF

EverGreen Funds & Services

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. This page contains a list of the types of funds at the Community Foundation. You can click through to see a list of all the funds by type and learn more or make a gift to any of funds at LVCF.

Let the Community Foundation Guide your Philanthropic Pathway.

Learn about our new EverGreen Fund, it’s what we like to call a “Super DAF.” Start a new fund or move all or part of your family foundation to a Evergreen Fund and grow your family legacy of philanthropy | learn more.


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 LVCF’s own community research to identify worthy charitable programs in the specified area-of-interest.
  • A donor-directed area-of-interest fund awards grants based on the recommendations of a community committee that oversees a specific initiative.

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

Richard E. Gasser Fund

Nancy S. & Charles E. Keenan Endowment Fund

Erwin J. & Gertrude K. Neusch 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 Maureen | If you would like more information on starting a fund at LVCF, our Family Legacy Fund, or our Impact Services can benefit you and the community. And she’ here to help with any questions about the MyFund Portal.

Maureen Wendling

Maureen Connolley Wendling
Director of Donor Initiatives
Lehigh Valley Community Foundation
840 W. Hamilton Street, Suite 310, Allentown, PA 18101
Tel: 610-351-5353 ext. 16 | Maureen@lvcfoundation.org