Donor advised, scholarship, designated and agency fund assets held at FFTC are often advised by individuals or organizations. Discretionary assets, on the other hand, are unrestricted gifts that give foundations the flexibility to distribute grants based on current needs and strategic opportunities. These assets play a critical role in shaping the identity of community foundations.

Discretionary assets, typically bequeathed to FFTC by donors through estate plans, enable FFTC and its regional affiliate foundations to address changing needs across our community. By partnering with community volunteers, our experienced staff can assess needs and respond strategically (by awarding grants, conducting research and convening initiatives to advance our region's most critical work) or nimbly (in the case of disasters and emergencies). The majority of FFTC's discretionary grantmaking currently takes place among the regional affiliate foundations.

FFTC Community Impact Funds consist of discretionary assets which provide permanent, strategic support for vital causes in our region. By entrusting a portion of your charitable legacy plan to an endowed fund that aligns with your values, you can levarage FFTC's discretionary grantmaking expertise and knowledge of local issues to make impactful investments in our community's future. You can designate your unrestricted gift within a particular interest area or regional community within FFTC's service area.

Since 1958, FFTC has served as a civic leader, catalyzing positive change in our region. Working alongside community partners, we transform targeted investments into philanthropic impact. Our grantmaking team and volunteer leaders study our most critical issues and identify key opportunities, engaging experts and diverse community members. Then, we make strategic investments – using unrestricted, discretionary gifts entrusted to FFTC by forward-thinking donors – that ignite change.

Unrestricted funds allow FFTC to be nimble and strategic. Grants may provide time sensitive emergency funding for urgent issues, or can offer seed funding to innovative opportunities and transformational, collaborative initiatives. Below are examples of how your community foundation has responded to our region’s needs through various funds and partnerships

An endowed fund is built to last. By distributing grants from a carefully planned percentage, the fund will last in perpetuity, permanently supporting the community.

The Lucille Puette Giles Endowment Fund is a shining example of how one gift can go a long way, improving thousands of lives years after it was established. Created by a $35 million bequest in 1996, it has resulted in $56 million in grants helping children and youth, the environment, social capital and economic opportunity.

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