Meeting Ever-Changing Community NeedsWhen you establish an Unrestricted Fund, your gift can address a broad range of local needs–including future needs that often cannot be anticipated at the time your gift is made. We evaluate all aspects of community well-being: arts and culture, economic development, education, environment, health and human services, neighborhood revitalization, and more. The flexibility of your unrestricted gift enables your community foundation’s program experts to respond to the community’s most pressing needs, today and tomorrow.

Community foundations provide a simple, powerful, and highly personal approach to giving. We offer a variety of giving tools to help people achieve their charitable goals.

How it Works– You make an unrestricted gift to your community foundation during your lifetime or through a bequest in your will. You can give cash, appreciated stocks, real estate, or other assets.
– We set up a special fund in your name, in the name of your family or business, or in honor of any person or organization that you choose.
– You receive tax benefits in the year your gift is made.
– Our professional program staff determines the areas of community need that would be most impacted by grants from your gift.
– Our board issues grants in the name of the fund you establish (if you prefer, grants can be made anonymously).
– We handle all the administrative details.
– Your gift can be placed into an endowment that is invested over time. Earnings from your fund are used to make grants addressing community needs. Your gift–and all future earnings from your gift–is a permanent source of community capital, helping to do good work forever.

More BenefitsBecause you set no restrictions on the use of your gift, it enables our experiences program staff and board to do what they do best – assess community needs and respond by awarding grants to the nonprofit organizations that undertake our community’s most critical work. Unrestricted Funds help your community foundation to support long-term solutions; respond quickly to emergencies; and meet changing social, cultural, educational, or environmental needs in our local community.

If you have created a Unrestricted Named Fund, such as a Memorial or Honorary Fund, grants are made in the name of the fund you establish creating a personal legacy of giving. Your gift may be made immediately or through your will or other estate planning strategy. If you endow your gift, it becomes a permanent community funding resource.

Most charitable gifts qualify for maximum tax advantage under federal law. For more information and ideas on ways to integrate your financial planning with charitable giving, ask your financial advisor or contact us.

A Personal Approach to GivingEstablishing a Donor Advised Fund allows you to make a gift to your community foundation, and then remain actively involved. You can have ongoing involvement in the use of your gift. You work with the community foundation’s professional program staff, identifying ways to use dollars from the fund you establish to address the issues and needs that you care about most. Your recommendations are submitted to our Board of Trustees for approval. Once approved, we then distribute grant dollars in the name of the fund (or anonymously if you prefer). It’s a simple, powerful, and highly personal approach to giving.

What is it?A pass-through fund is like a charitable checking account. The fund provides a conduit through which charitable contributions flow towards a specific project, program, or area of interest. A pass-through fund offers philanthropists the opportunity to give directly to one or several charitable organizations, using all available funds. The fund is not considered an endowment fund, nor are contributions to it invested in the Cadillac Area Community Foundation’s balanced portfolio. The fund is short term and distributions may be made upon request up to the full balance of the fund. Any income earned on a pass-through fund will remain with Cadillac Area Community Foundation.

HighlightsA pass-through fund releases you from the burden of charitable giving paperwork including receipting donors, depositing donations, and posting contributions. The fund is held under the 501c3 umbrella of the Foundation, eliminating the need for the fund to apply for a nonprofit status. The Foundation invests and manages donations to the fund and manages the cash accounts. Fund financial responsibilities such as IRS 990 preparation are included in the Foundation account records.

Charitable organizations can also open a pass-through fund to maximize donations for a capital campaign.

In 2023 we assisted the Band Boosters with the upgrades to the Veterans Memorial Stadium and the City of Cadillac with the
new Pickleball Courts by using our Special Pass Through Fund.

Connecting Personal Values to High-Impact OpportunitiesBy establishing a Field of Interest Fund, you can target your gift to address needs in an important area of community life.

Arts. Environment. Aging. Homelessness. At-risk youth. You identify your personal interest area when making your gift; our board awards grants to community organizations and programs that are making a difference in the area you select.

Your gift stays flexible enough to meet community needs in your interest area–even as they change over time.

By establishing a Scholarship Fund, you not only contribute to the development of individual students but also strengthen the entire community. Education is a powerful catalyst for change, and with your support, students can pursue their dreams and aspirations, regardless of their financial circumstances.

Your community foundation has the knowledge and resources to guide you through the process, ensuring that your investment is impactful and aligned with your personal values. Whether you wish to support students in their early educational endeavors or those pursuing advanced degrees, your gift can make a significant difference in their lives.

Imagine the ripple effect of your contribution: students who receive scholarships often go on to give back to their communities, thus creating a cycle of support and opportunity. By investing in education, you are championing not just individual growth, but also the collective advancement of your community.

Join us in nurturing the dreams of tomorrow’s leaders. Together, we can build a brighter and more educated future for all

You have the power to shape the future by setting the criteria for your scholarship fund. Whether you want to support students pursuing specific fields of study, recognize outstanding academic achievements, encourage involvement in extracurricular activities, or assist those with financial needs, you can customize the requirements to reflect your values and vision for the community.

The Cadillac Area Community Foundation takes care of all the administrative tasks associated with managing the scholarship fund, ensuring a seamless process from application to award. We will handle everything from promoting the scholarships and reviewing applications to selecting deserving recipients—all in the name of the fund you established.

By investing in education through a scholarship fund, you’re not just providing financial support; you’re fostering hope, motivation, and the ability for students to realize their dreams. Join us in this meaningful endeavor and become a vital part of shaping brighter futures for deserving students in our community.

Helping Local Organizations Sustain and GrowEstablishing a designated fund allows you to support the good work of a specific nonprofit organization–a senior center, museum, or virtually any nonprofit charitable organization. Because it’s given through your community foundation, your gift provides the organization you select not only funding, but also planned given and investment management services and the power of endowment.

Endowing Your Nonprofit OrganizationNonprofit organizations can also establish a designated fund or agency endowment at the community foundation. Nonprofit organizations can use a designated fund through the community foundation to build their endowment and enhance their ability to accept large and complex gifts. It’s a simple and efficient way to build an endowment—and help create sustainability—for your nonprofit organization. The community foundation’s experienced staff can also help your organization develop planned giving programs and assist with investment management and administrative details.

The Cadillac Area Community Foundation has great options for establishing a Fund that will meet your philanthropic goals as well as the ever-changing needs of the community.

Any of the charitable Fund types that we offer can be established in your name, or in the name of your family, your organization, or anyone you wish to honor.

The type of Fund you choose will determine your level of future involvement.

All grants distributed from the Fund you establish are then awarded in the name of that Fund.

When donors or nonprofit organizations work through the community foundation to achieve their charitable goals, they benefit from the expertise of experienced local program staff, community leadership, and investment management.