Business Funds

TYPES OF FUNDS

Business Donor-Advised Funds Establish or enhance your company’s giving to organizations and causes that match your values.	Employee Giving Circles Provide your employees with the opportunity to pool their funds and participate in giving that matters to them.
*Business Scholarship Funds Help students pursue their dreams and receive a higher education. *In adherence with Rev. Proc. 76-47, 1976-2 C.B. 670 (modified by Rev. Proc. 85-51)	Corporate Scholarship Funds Offer your employees or their families opportunities to advance their education.

WHAT SUPPORT DO WE OFFER YOU?

• Business fund control and support

  • A dedicated person to answer questions and offer advice and guidance in your corporate giving
  • Access to an online portal so your team can recommend grants, check fund balances, and view giving trends

• Grantmaking administration

  • All administrative and accounting services including quarterly fund reporting, donor acknowledgment, long-term recordkeeping, vetting, and processing of grants
  • An external online giving page to accept credit card gifts to your fund, from employees and clients
  • Competitive granting process – access and support in using our online grantmaking platform for your open grant process

• Education and networking

  • Access to our extensive nonprofit network and unique Corporate Social Responsibility consulting expertise
  • Support in engaging employees in the giving process, as well as training and onboarding for grant-making best practices
  • Fundholder educational seminars and networking opportunities

• Investing

  • Multiple investment options, including a Sustainable and Responsible Investment pool, a short-term savings option, and more. 
  • Investment services, opportunities for impact investing  
  • Finance your fund through cash, liquidating complex and appreciated assets, and /or gifts of business interests, partnerships, and closely held stock, including shares of IPO 

WHY OPEN A BUSINESS DONOR-ADVISED FUND?

Our business donor-advised fund is a great alternative to a corporate foundation because you don’t have to worry about tax filings, investments, and other costly administration costs that go along with a separate foundation. In addition, The Denver Foundation will help you with strategies to achieve your company’s philanthropic goals, establish your company’s philanthropic goals, and give back to organizations that are important to you.  

• Business Donor-advised funds allow businesses to make a charitable contribution with a $10,000 minimum to open, receive an immediate tax benefit, and then recommend grants from the fund over time. 
• Like a charitable bank account, a business contributes to the fund as frequently as they like.
• The fund is invested for potential growth.
• The business recommends grants to charitable organizations aligned with their values.

HOW A DONOR-ADVISED FUND WORKS

1) YOUR GIFT

As a donor, you create a fund with a gift of cash, securities, or appreciated assets. Once your fund is established, you can make additional gifts at any time. You are eligible for tax benefits every year a gift is made. Because The Denver Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, your donation is eligible for the maximum charitable deduction.

GIFT OPTIONS

The Denver Foundation specializes in gifts of complex assets and will work with you and your professional advisor to ensure you receive maximum tax benefits for your gift.

• Cash
• Real Estate
• Life Insurance
• Stocks, Bonds, and Mutual Funds
• Closely Held Stock

2) CHOOSE YOUR INVESTMENT POOL

The assets of your donor-advised fund will be invested for potential growth. You can select from multiple options for investment of the assets in your fund. You will receive quarterly fund statements detailing changes in assets.

3) MANAGE YOUR FUND

After you make the contribution, The Denver Foundation has legal control of your assets and manages all administrative needs. However, you retain advisory privileges with respect to the distribution of funds via grant recommendations made to your choice of charitable organizations.

4) RECOMMEND GRANTS

Donor-advised funds are incredibly versatile, allowing you to recommend grants to a wide variety of organizations. Grants can be made to any 501(c)(3) organization in the United States, to religious institutions, and to certain charitable institutions without an IRS 501(c)(3) designation. The Denver Foundation also works with donors on international grantmaking.

WHY THE DENVER FOUNDATION?

We offer world-class personalized service, including consultation and research, and an individual relationship manager who will provide customized support. We collaborate with our donors in countless ways, providing an experienced, innovative, and diverse network of partners to inform your social responsibility plans. Our easy-to-use web portal can support your business with grantmaking, tax filing, CSR Tracking, and more. 

TRUSTED We are Denver’s foundation – with deep community roots, proven impact, and an extensive network of grantees, donors, and community partners.	EXPERIENCED We have almost 100 years of serving Denver, Colorado, and beyond.
TAILORED Large or small, we will work with you to bring your own brand touch to your philanthropy.	SUPPORTIVE Let us know your Corporate Social Responsibility vision, and we will build a strategy to actualize it.

Stories of impact

Limelight Denver partners with The Denver Foundation to involve employees in local community giving.

Contact us to learn more

To start giving more strategically and make a deeper impact with your corporate resources, contact Collin Hiew, engaged philanthropy officer, at chiew@denverfoundation.org or 303.996.7324.