Your Giving

Types of Funds

The Denver Foundation offers several types of charitable funds to facilitate your giving. Our staff is happy to discuss these options with you and help you select one that best meets your needs.

Donor-Advised Funds
Donor-advised funds are established by donors who wish to participate actively in the grantmaking process. A donor establishes a donor-advised fund with one or more gifts and then recommends grants from that fund to the charitable projects or organizations they want to support. It is easy to give to multiple nonprofits through a donor-advised fund. Our Board of Directors is legally responsible for approving all grants to ensure they are going to appropriate charitable purposes.

Designated Funds
Donors who wish to support a specific agency or cause can establish a designated fund. If the original charity ceases to exist, becomes obsolete or is unable to perform its charitable purpose, our Board of Trustees is able to redirect the funds to an organization providing similar services without the cost of expensive legal action.

Field of Interest Funds
Field of interest funds are often established to support particular interest areas, specific program initiatives, causes or geographic areas. At the donor's request, use of the funds is restricted to a specified area of interest, but flexibility remains to meet changing situations. You give the financial resources and the general "field" to support and we select the grantees through our thorough Community Grants Program vetting process.

Scholarship Funds
Scholarship funds can be structured to benefit students at any education level or to benefit students at a specific institution. A scholarship fund can also be created to honor a loved one.

For information on establishing a scholarship fund click here.

Agency Endowment Fund
Many nonprofit organizations establish an endowment fund with The Denver Foundation in order to grow assets to meet both current and future needs. They look to our Board of Trustees for strong investment oversight services and ask our staff to manage all of the administrative details of the endowment. This can provide a relatively constant source of annual income and help maintain the mission in perpetuity. It also frees the nonprofit to focus on what it does best in the community.

Gifts to support the Community
Hundreds of donors every year join in the long-term legacy of supporting Metro Denver by making gifts to The Denver Foundation's Community Endowment Fund, which allows us to meet the most pressing needs of the community. The fund is not specifically designated for a particular agency, cause, or area of interest. Our Board of Trustees oversees the use of these funds, setting priorities for their use and determining how grants will be distributed to support the charitable needs of our community.

Let us help you select the fund that works best for your particular giving situation. The Philanthropic Services Group is available to answer any questions or to provide additional information. Call 303-300-1790.