Develop a giving strategy

Every donor is different and we can work with you or your advisors to develop your own giving strategy.

Set up a fund for your philanthropy

A named fund allows you to give in a straightforward, meaningful and rewarding way that suits your wishes and means. It is like having a charitable trust but without the administrative and regulatory burdens. You benefit from our community knowledge and philanthropy advice and, if you wish, the opportunity to meet like-minded others.

A fund can be totally anonymous, or you can set it up in the name of your family, business or charity. If you keep growing a fund, you can also nominate successors to work with us when you are no longer able or willing to be involved. There are three main choices to make when setting up a named fund, and we can advise on which options will best suit your wishes and means.

  1. Do you want a fund to be forever or for now?

    If it’s forever, set up an endowment fund: we invest your gift as capital, with the return used to support charitable activities every year in perpetuity. If it’s for now, set up an annual fund: we apply your gift as revenue to support charitable activities in the year ahead. We can also look to combine elements of an endowment and annual fund for you.

  2. Do you want to help specific causes in an area or be flexible?

    You can specify the charities, causes or communities you want to benefit, or you can be open to a wide range. In all cases, we will research and match suitable requests for support to a fund.

  3. Do you want to be hands on or arm’s length?

    You can recommend which matching requests should get funded, or you can ask us to select them in line with your wishes. Alternatively, you can allow us complete discretion to fund the things that most need support at any time. 

All funds contribute to the charitable costs of our philanthropy, funding and leadership work, meaning we can continue growing to serve the needs of our communities even better in future.

Most popular funds

Donor Advised Funds:  Donor advised funds give you the opportunity to select charitable groups to receive grants from your fund.  Gloucestershire Community Foundation welcomes donors' active involvement in the grant making process and provides advice and administrative support for your fund as required.  Such funds may also be set up to support specific areas or issues.

Field of Interest Funds: These enable you to support a broad area of need, such as young people or the homeless and allows the Foundation to find the best projects for your support.

Area Funds: These funds are used to respond to the most pressing needs of our communities in Gloucestershire, with the responsibility for the funds resting with the Foundation's Trustees.

Designated Funds: Designated funds support specific charitable organisations you identify. If over time, the named charity is no longer active or providing the required service, another organisation with a similar purpose would be selected to receive the grant.

For professional advisors

We work with professional advisors to develop tailor made giving strategies, find out more Read more

For individuals and families

Individuals can make one off donations or build funds. Find out more here Read more

For businesses

More information for companies on the benefits of working with a community foundation Read more