Unrestricted funds are flexible and responsive to emerging and changing community needs. Because donors do not limit the fund to a single cause or purpose, the Community Foundation board can be more responsible to the immediate needs of the community.

Field-of-interest funds allow donors to support causes addressing specific areas of interest, such as education, health, the arts or animal welfare. The donor decides which area(s) they want to support without having to name a specific nonprofit organization.

Designated funds allow donors to support specific nonprofit organizations through an endowed fund, supporting the organizations long into the future. And if, in the future, an organization no longer exists or no longer offers programs the donor intended to support, the Foundation will identify another nonprofit organization that meets the donor’s charitable goals.

A signed Grant Recommendation (Distribution Request) Form must be submitted, either via fax, email or postal mail, for all requested distributions from a donor-advised fund. (Please note "Requests that do not meet IRS regulations" on page 2 of the form.) Submit requests by the first Tuesday of the month.

Do concerned investors have a better choice for returns than those offered by certificates of deposit (CDs) while also making a contribution to the community?

Absolutely, says Esther*, a 70-year-old retired schoolteacher and owner of a charitable gift annuity at the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. Thanks to an arrangement with the Foundation, she is able to get a return rate of 6.5%, a consistent stream of income for life and some tax benefits that she wouldn’t have otherwise enjoyed.

Charitable Gift Annuities (CGAs) allow donors to make a wise investment in their retirement while leaving a legacy in the Southwest Florida community.

“I think gift annuities are very helpful to older individuals who are looking for a safe, secure place to put their money and get an attractive interest rate, while at the same time satisfying a desire to support a charitable cause,” said John W. Sheppard, retired estate planning attorney and long-time board member of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation.

The Foundation works with each donor to establish what areas of the community their funds will support after their death. In exchange for their contribution of cash, stock or other property, donors are assured a lifetime of payments that typically are made quarterly or semiannually. In addition to the steady income of these fixed payments, donors enjoy certain tax advantages, such as reduced probate costs and estate taxes.

If the annuity is funded with appreciated assets, the capital gains tax is applied to only a portion of the gain and is reported over the donor’s life expectancy. The size of payments is determined by the size of the contribution, the donor’s age at the time the gift annuity is established and whether the annuity covers one or two people.