Our mission statement says it all - we’re flexible.

Donor-Advised fund - A person, a family, a corporation, a business- basically anyone can open this type of fund. It can be permanent (endowed) which means only the earnings are gifted out each year or it can be temporary (passthrough) meaning you give funds at any time in any amount up to how much the fund contains. This type of fund, like all of ours, can be for any charitable purpose and for any amount over $10,000. If parents set up a donor advised fund, they can name their children as advisors to the fund if they like.

Unrestricted fund – Charity is our business. If you would like to give a gift to the entire community of Wichita without any restrictions, an unrestricted fund is the best way to do it. The Foundation endows your gift, and then each year thereafter, gives the earnings to the Foundation’s independent Grants Committee to give away to the community. Unrestricted funds help us pay for lots of different needs that you can read about here.

Field of Interest – If you are a “big picture person” you might consider opening a field of interest fund. Funds might be created for helping the homeless, community engagement, educating young children- any number of great ideas. The Foundation staff can help you refine your ideas and focus on the areas you want to help. Like our other funds, field of interest funds can be endowed (spending earnings only) or passthrough and start with an initial contribution of $10,000.

Designated – Some donors prefer naming a certain nonprofit agency or agencies to benefit from their generosity, creating a designated fund. Agencies can be located in our community or anywhere in America, but must maintain their tax exempt status with the IRS to receive gifts or grants from this type of fund. Designated funds are a good way to make sure your legacy to a certain organization is used for the purpose you intended. We handle that part for you - for forever.

Agency – Part of the Foundation’s regular work involves the financial health of our community’s nonprofit organizations. We help agencies in two ways: 1) we give them grants and 2) we can manage and invest their funds for them at low cost. Right now there are over 60 agencies that have funds here. If you serve on a nonprofit board, you might ask about setting up a fund here with the Foundation. Often, if an organization receives an estate gift, and is not prepared to handle the investing and reporting requirements, they open a fund here where auditing, investing and tax responsibilities are included.

Scholarship – The Foundation is proud of the fact that each year, through the generosity of our scholarship donors, we send 30-35 kids off to college. We can help you through every step of the process for setting up a scholarship tailored to your charitable ideas. We also offer a straightforward online application process that students prefer at no cost to the donor. We will help you reason through realistic guidelines, setting up a scholarship selection committee - all the details. Like our other funds, scholarships can be endowed or passthrough but require a $25,000 contribution to start.

If you can not decide what type of fund would work for you, call us at 316-264-4880 and we will help you.