We help people meet their charitable goals, whether that is building a legacy that will last forever through an estate gift or providing flexible and immediate giving options through a donor advised fund. When we meet with potential donors, our first job is to listen. We work hard to learn what causes are important to each person and to understand their giving needs, so we can create a fund that works best for them.

We can work with companies to establish charitable funds to support community causes and engage employees in philanthropy. More than 25 school districts and educational organizations use our funds to easily manage a variety of scholarship programs, project funding streams, and activity booster accounts. Working with the Community Foundation reduces responsibility for their business offices and gives their donors a way to charitably contribute to school programs.

Our professional management and investment services allow nonprofit organizations to grow agency endowments that provide a reliable source of annual income. Nonprofits also use the Community Foundation to help assist with fundraising efforts, relieving receipting and acknowledgment responsibilities from their staff so their employees can focus on their mission.

Our charitable administration services allow private foundations to easily and efficiently meet their philanthropic duties with the help of the Community Foundation’s experienced grantmaking staff. We can build custom applications, perform due diligence, and provide information related to best practices and community needs. Some private foundations have even transferred their assets to a fund managed by the Community Foundation, which reduces legal requirements, tax liabilities, and other costs, while ensuring that the charitable effort of the fund can be maintained in perpetuity.

The Community Foundation offers a variety of fund types, each designed to meet the specific goals of the donor:

Donor Advised Funds: Donors enjoy administrative convenience, cost savings, and tax advantages. Each year, they recommend nonprofits in which they want to invest, and the Community Foundation does all the work in administering those grants.

Designated Funds: Donors may support up to four specific charitable organizations to support.

Field-of-Interest Funds: Donors identify an area of personal interest, such as the arts, economic development, education, the environment, health, housing, basic human services, seniors, or youth. Within that area of interest, the Community Foundation identifies the best philanthropic use of the fund’s distributions, now and into the future.

Scholarship Funds: Donors can honor loved ones, inspire young people, and invest in the community’s future generations.

Unrestricted Funds: These funds provide flexibility by allowing our Distribution Committee and staff to use their knowledge and expertise in determining which efforts or initiatives would be most impactful for the community. These funds address our community’s pressing needs and promising opportunities. We receive more than 200 applications annually from local nonprofits seeking support from these funds.

Agency Funds: Donors provide ongoing support to a pre-determined nonprofit, while the CFA handles investments and administrative responsibilities, allowing the organization to focus on their mission.

Administrative Funds: Donors can invest in the Community Foundation and further its charitable purposes by helping to defray its expenses. The long-term goal of the Community Foundation is to be supported entirely by its administrative endowment fund.

Partnership Funds: The Community Foundation manages donations on behalf of grassroots activists, and funding is redistributed to benefit local initiatives.

To discuss how we can help you pursue your philanthropic interests, contact Director of Donor Services Katrina Perkosky at 814-208-8411 or kperkosky@cfalleghenies.org.