How to Manage Your Fund

Assuming there are funds available to make the grant, and if an organization is already in our database of approved charities, a check will generally be sent within seven to ten days. If we need to review the charity to make sure it meets our standards, it may take two to six weeks. There are rare instances in which it takes longer than six weeks to make a grant.

Yes. When a check is issued, you will be sent a copy of the grant check and voucher. Checks are sent directly to the charity.

If it is an anonymous grant, you will not receive a copy of the check.

Yes, unless you don't want it to. A voucher accompanies each check and notes the name of the fund from which the grant was made, and states that the grant was "made at the suggestion of [name]." If you would like the gift to be anonymous, please let us know.

This is a trickier question than it may seem. You may not legally use our name to publicly solicit funds (in which case you are acting as an unauthorized "agent" of The Trust). Nor can we pay expenses of a fundraiser you host in order to raise money for your fund. However, you certainly can ask friends to contribute to your fund (say, in lieu of a Christmas present to you, or in honor of your birthday).

Absolutely. What's often convenient for some donors is that we keep copies of our acknowledgements. When tax time rolls around and you can't find your original, we'll send you a copy.

Funds may be established with the following: cash, securities traded on major exchanges, closely held stock, mutual fund shares, retirement plan assets, interests in limited partnerships, literature copyrights, and movie and television rights. We are skilled at evaluating unusual assets and have the flexibility to accommodate them when suitable for charity.

Cash
If you want to give cash, make your check payable to "Community Funds, Inc." and write the name of the fund on the memo portion of the check. If you would prefer giving via cash wire transfer, please contact Raymond Salibur at (212) 686-0010 x455 for instructions.

Appreciated securities
Many donors prefer to contribute appreciated securities (since you receive the deduction for the current value, and pay no capital gains). If that's the case, please download this form that explains the procedure for giving securities. 

Non-publicly traded securities
Non-publicly traded securities may also be appropriate gifts. For these, please contact our counsel, Jane Wilton, at (212) 686 - 2563. She can determine whether we can accept the gift and walk you through the process.