CREATE YOUR OWN LEGACY
When you consider the idea of making a charitable gift, either during your lifetime or at the end of life, consider starting your own endowment fund with The Catholic Foundation.
Every year, individual Catholics initiate endowment funds to benefit Catholic parishes, schools, organizations, programs, or people in need. These endowments often bear the donor’s name, the names of family members or loved ones, deceased spouses, parents, children, clergy or religious. Sometimes they bear the name of a favorite saint. Other times, donors wish to remain anonymous. Endowments are routinely started for: scholarships; building maintenance funds; funds to assist the poor; funds to support retired clergy and religious communities; and funds to benefit needy children and families in very specific ways. All serve to fulfill the charitable objectives of the donor in a unique and personal way.
Once initiated at The Catholic Foundation, your endowment will be included on our comprehensive list of endowments, in our annual reports, and on our website. Other interested donors may then make ongoing contributions to your endowment to enhance its charitable mission.
It is important to understand that an endowment is a fund designed to serve its beneficiary – or beneficiaries – in perpetuity. It does so through distributions of annual earnings, while preserving the principal of your gift. Future generations will continue to benefit from your endowment, and it will be a lasting legacy and source of satisfaction for your family, your parish, your school, and your faith community. You may establish an endowment while you live, or at your death. Distributions from your endowment may begin to support named beneficiaries right away, or be deferred until a later time once the endowment has grown. The Catholic Foundation will help you formulate a customized plan according to your wishes, and do so within the guiding hand of Catholic teaching.
A minimum of $10,000 is required to start a new endowment, and future contributions to the endowment may be made in any amount, large or small. If you are interested in learning more, simply contact The Catholic Foundation and schedule an appointment to discuss your charitable goals. The Foundation will help you decide if an endowment is a good solution for you. With a decision to move forward, we will help you fine-tune your plan and prepare an endowment agreement that, once approved by you, will be strictly followed and adhered to by the Foundation from that point forward. You can then enjoy the satisfaction and fulfillment of a gift that will continue to give for generations to come.