What types of donations can be made and what is their value to the community?

The Trinidad Community Foundation has a number of different types of funds to accommodate every donor. Each provides different benefits to the donors and the recipients. Through your choice of funds, you select your desired level of involvement in the grantmaking process.

Donor Advised Fund. Donors who want a more active role in grantmaking can establish a Donor Advised Fund. This allows you to recommend charitable organizations to receive grants from your fund. The Trinidad Community Foundation helps you by verifying the charitable status and mission of the organizations and identifying organizations you may want to support. Other family members can also be named as advisors, thereby encouraging children and grandchildren to carry on family philanthropy. Donor Advised funds are a more efficient and easy vehicle for family philanthropy than private foundations.

Donor Restricted Fund. Donors with strong ties to a particular organization or institution may want to establish a restricted fund. With a Restricted Fund, you designate a charitable organization that your fund will support during and beyond your lifetime. The Foundation actively monitors all its grantees. If the beneficiary organization ceases to exist, loses its tax-exempt status or changes its mission, your gift is redirected to support an organization with a similar mission.

Field of Interest Fund. Donors who feel strongly about a particular cause but do not wish to take an active role in grantmaking may want to establish a Field of Interest Fund. This type of fund allows you to identify and support a category of interest (i.e. the arts, the environment, kids at risk, etc.) that you feel passionate about supporting. TCF staff will identify appropriate organizations working in your field of interest to support.

General Community/Unrestricted Fund. An unrestricted gift of any size to the Trinidad Community Foundation helps meet changing needs in our community, now and in the future. Grants are made to qualified organizations seeking funding through a competitive grants process. Trinidad Community Foundation funds support education, health and wellness, recreation, historic preservation and communication.

Special Project Fund. From time to time, the TCF or donors may establish pass-through or project funds to support the work of an organization without charitable status. These funds are generally not permanent, and are established for a defined purpose.