Types of Funds

People who want to help others can accomplish most anything they wish through the Columbia Basin Foundation. The Foundation has the flexibility to serve donors' wishes. Minimum donation amounts are set for an individual or organization to create a fund.

The following types of funds are available:

Agency Endowments

The Board of Directors of a non-profit agency may establish an endowment fund to provide ongoing support to that non-profit organization. Agencies can encourage donors interested in the charity to make contributions to the fund. An agency endowment enhances financial security of the agency and provides the benefits of financial management by the Foundation.

CBF Sustaining Endowment

A donor may choose to provide direct administrative support to the Columbia Basin Foundation. Income from this permanent endowment fund helps pay the operating costs of the Foundation, lowering individual fund fees.

Designated Funds

Designated, or restricted funds, are established to benefit one or more specific organizations. The donor's designation will be honored through the years, unless the designated organization should cease operation or otherwise cease to deliver the services that the donor wished to support. In that case, programs will be identified so that the charitable interest of the donor continues to be fulfilled.

Discretionary Funds

A donor may choose to make a gift toward the broad general charitable purposes of the Foundation. The Foundation is authorized to allocate gifts to a variety of community programs and services, giving the most flexibility in responding to emerging problems, opportunities and needs in the community.

Donor Advised Funds

Donors can establish a fund that enables them to make suggestions about distributions from the fund from time to time. While IRS regulations require that ultimate decision-making authority for grant-making must lie with the Foundation's Board of Directors, the donor's non-binding suggestions are taken into consideration by the Board when grants are allocated.

Field-of-Interest Funds

A donor may direct that a gift be used to support a particular or general charitable interest, such as children, the arts, senior citizens, health, etc. The Foundation seeks out and responds to programs in the area of interest to the donor.

Scholarship Funds

A donor may establish a Scholarship Fund to benefit students seeking higher education at either the undergraduate or graduate level. The Columbia Basin Foundation assists the donor in determining geographical area, financial need, or academic criteria to be used by a selection committee.

Special Project/Building Fund

These funds are created by donors who wish to address community needs and assure support for their charitable goals. Special projects can be for the improvement of specific programs within individual communities, such as parks, etc. Building funds would be for the construction of permanent facilities.

Fiscal Sponsorship

These funds are created by charitable groups interested in community projects to benefit our communities, but do not need to form a new organization to accomplish their charitable goal. This fund requires an application which must be approved by the Board of Directors.

CBF can hold a limited number of fiscal sponsorships and special project funds at any given time due to limited resources. We sponsor organizations within our service area of Grant, Adams and western Lincoln Counties ONLY.