Start Your Legacy of Giving
Open a philanthropic fund and make a lasting impact on the causes that matter most to you. Whether you’re passionate about education, community development, or cultural preservation, we offer flexible giving options to match your goals.
For Individuals & Families:
- Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs)
- Endowment Funds
- Scholarship Funds
For Nonprofit Organizations:
- Agency Investment Funds
Let your generosity grow into something extraordinary—start your fund today.
Your Philanthropy, Your Way
Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) are the fastest-growing philanthropic tool in the US. DAFs are a charitable giving vehicle designed both to simplify your donations and to offer a tax-advantaged approach for making contributions to IRS-qualified charities. Donations to the fund are tax deductible, and the fund’s balance is invested based on your recommendation, so it has the potential to grow tax free over time.
Benefits of a DAF
- Make Charitable Contributions
- Receive Immediate Tax Deductions
- Recommend Grants Over Time
- Fundholder Focused
- Customizeable & Convenient
- Confidential
Build a Legacy That Lasts
Establish a permanent source of support for the causes you care about. Endowment Funds generate annual income, which is distributed according to your instructions, ensuring your charitable impact continues year after year.
Enjoy meaningful tax advantages while connecting future generations of your family to your philanthropic vision. With DJCF’s professional fund management—including investment strategy, spending policy guidance, and fiduciary oversight—your legacy is secure, and your intent honored in perpetuity.
Types of Endowment Funds
- Memorial Funds
- Designated Funds
- Field of Interest Funds
Create Opportunity with a Scholarship Fund
Empower students by supporting their educational journey—on your terms. With a Scholarship Fund, you define the criteria for eligibility, such as academic achievement, financial need, field of study, or community involvement. DJCF handles the administration, ensuring your fund is awarded according to your wishes.
Whether you want to honor a loved one, support a specific school or program, or invest in future leaders, a Scholarship Fund is a meaningful way to make a lasting difference.
Partnering for Sustainability and Growth
DJCF supports nonprofit organizations by helping them build long-term capacity through education and consulting, professional investment management, and planned giving expertise.
Flexible Fund Options
Nonprofits can establish long-term investment funds with DJCF. These funds remain under the agency’s control for withdrawal anytime, but benefit from DJCF’s financial services, including fund accounting and short-term financing solutions.
Education & Support
Nonprofit fundholders can take advantage of DJCF’s expertise in planned giving and endowments—from consultations on accepting complex assets to educational opportunities about legacy giving.
Benefits of Agency Funds
- Convenient access to all financial & investment data via our online portal
- Access to consulting expertise in resource development and governance
- Invitations to timely, content-rich workshops
- Opportunity to highlight new & innovative activities in DJCF’s donor communications
Ready to Begin?
Below are the profile forms you’ll need to start your philanthropic fund with DJCF. Once you have completed the form, please email it to [email protected].
Give. Grow. Grant.
- Give – Write a check, transfer appreciated securities (stocks or bonds), or donate real estate, coins, jewelry, etc., and receive a tax deduction immediately.
- Grow – Select from one of the investment pools managed by DJCF/SWCF. Contributions can grow into a more substantial gift for the future. All growth is tax free.
- Grant – You pick the recipient and the amount of your giving. For endowments, the Foundation distributes grants on your behalf.
At DJCF, we want to empower you to start your philanthropic journey in a way that best aligns with your vision.
While the most common contributions to a DAF are publicly traded securities, there are a
wide range of options – from cash to closely held business interests to mineral rights.
DJCF/SWCF can help with questions about donating a specific asset, and has a
comprehensive gift acceptance policy available for reference.
A DJCF/SWCF DAF may be opened with as little as $5,000. DJCF/SWCF will decline grant
requests when the fund balance dips below $2,000. Fundholders may recommend grants
for any amount of $50 or above.
DAFs can make grants to nonprofit organizations in the United States.
- These will usually be 501(c)(3) organizations, though religious organizations that otherwise meet the 501(c)(3) requirements are considered to have exempt status
without obtaining recognition from the IRS.
Thinking about starting a scholarship fund?
We are happy to visit with you to begin the process. There are so many reasons for opening a fund; to help the future generations, honoring the memory or legacy of others, paying it forward, helping a certain population, etc. and each have so many different questions. Our staff’s expertise will help ensure the fund is personalized to what is important for you. Please reach out to [email protected] to start the process today!
Any contributions to a fund are tax deductible. Scholarships can also be created from QCD distributions.
With a Scholarship Fund, you define the criteria for eligibility, such as academic achievement, financial need, field of study, or community involvement. DJCF handles the administration, ensuring your fund is awarded according to your wishes.
Depending on how you chose to set-up your scholarship, a recipient will be selected based on the criteria you establish in your fund. A passionate group of committee volunteers review all the applications that are made anonymous so that they genuinely review the criteria you establish.
Yes, once the student is selected you will receive an overview of the student and an invitation to meet them at the scholarship reception. You are also given an opportunity to share a note about the reason for creating the fund so that year after year, the recipient knows who or why the fund was created.
A scholarship fund can be funded with $25,000 and can continue to receive donations to help it grow.
To discuss donation options, please contact our scholarship department at [email protected].
Endowment Funds generate annual income, which is distributed the recommended spending policy according to your instructions, ensuring your charitable impact continues year after year. With DJCF’s professional fund management—including investment strategy, spending policy guidance, Endowment Funds generate annual income, which distributes the annual spending policy according to your instructions, ensuring your charitable impact continues year after year.
Enjoy meaningful tax advantages while connecting future generations of your family to your philanthropic vision. With DJCF’s professional fund management—including investment strategy, spending policy guidance, and fiduciary oversight—your legacy is secure, and your intent is honored in perpetuity.
Whether you want to honor a loved one, support a specific school or program, or invest in future leaders, a Scholarship Fund is a meaningful way to make a lasting difference.
Learn more about building your legacy.
An endowment is a fund where the principal is invested, and only a portion of the earnings is spent annually to support the organization’s mission. It provides a permanent source of income. For example, its like planting a tree: the opening contribution is the tree (principal) that remains, and the annual fruit is the income generated to fund programs, scholarships, or operations for years to come.
The original gift is invested, and a percentage of the investment returns is used each year for designated purposes. The rest is reinvested to grow the fund over time.
Endowments ensure long-term financial stability and will make a significant difference for the agency or the causes that are being supported. They support scholarships, programs, faculty, research, and other priorities, often in perpetuity.
Memorial Fund
A Memorial Fund honors the memory of a loved one by supporting charitable causes that reflect their values. Established in their name, it serves as a lasting tribute and source of ongoing impact.
Designated Fund
Designated Funds allow donors to support a specific organization or cause, such as a school or place of worship. If the original recipient can no longer fulfill its mission, DJCF ensures the funds are redirected to a similar organization, preserving donor intent.
Field of Interest Fund
Field of Interest Funds focus on broad areas like education, healthcare, or housing. Donors define the area of impact, and DJCF distributes grants to the most effective organizations over time, adapting to evolving community needs.
Yes. Donors can specify how their gift should be used, such as for scholarships, academic programs, or other initiatives.