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The Fort Dodge Endowment
Investing in our Community for Today and Tomorrow
Help us Build a $10 Million Endowment
Fort Dodge Community Foundation
and United Way
As an independent public charity, the Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way enables people with philanthropic interests to develop lasting legacies through funds that support causes, programs and organizations in their community that they care about, easily and effectively. Serving Fort Dodge, Webster County and North Central Iowa, the Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way, makes grants from these funds to a wide-range of charitable causes and non-profit organizations to address a wide-range of current and future community needs.
All across Iowa people are working hand-in-hand to ensure their local
communities thrive for generations to come. By partnering with the
Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way, citizens are
building endowments to fund the charitable causes they care
about most deeply – today, tomorrow and forever.
One small seed will provide shade for a generation to come.
By establishing an endowment fund at the Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way today, you are planting a seed that will grow over time, providing necessary resources for future generations.
The Fort Dodge Endowment:
The Fort Dodge Endowment serves as a permanent “savings account” for the greater Fort Dodge Community. These funds are prudently invested to grow over time. A portion of the earnings from the funds’ balance (4 to 5%) are paid out on an annual basis to support community needs and charitable causes specified by the donors. The remainder of the investment yield is returned to the principle so the funds will continue to grow.
Endowment gifts make the most powerful and lasting impact on our community. By supporting Fort Dodge Endowment you are helping to catalyze change and advance innovative solutions to our community’s most challenging problems. Giving through the Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way to the causes you care about is rewarding because your gifts can create lasting change in the community. Held in perpetuity, these funds generate support for a diverse range of community projects, charitable causes and organizations. When you give to the endowment, you're helping to meet the needs of our community today, and for years to come.
Donor Flexibility: The Fort Dodge Endowment provides donors with the complete flexibility and freedom to establish a fund to support any charitable purpose or goal of the donor’s preference. Gifts made to the Fort Dodge Endowment can be designated to a specific community need, charitable cause or nonprofit organization, or they can support the Fort Dodge Community Fund, which is an unrestricted endowment designed to support community needs and projects today and in the future.
Quality of Life: Endowed funds with the Community Foundation can support a wide-range of community needs and causes including human services, education, health, recreation, arts and culture, environment, public safety, youth development and economic development.
25% Tax Credit: The Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way is the only entity in Webster County that offers donors a very attractive tax benefit. Donors who establish or give to a permanently endowed fund with the Community Foundation are eligible to receive 25% Endow Iowa state tax credits for their gifts. This is in addition to the federal tax deduction that donors are eligible to receive.
What is an endowment? When you create an endowed charitable fund through the Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way, you have an opportunity to benefit the community forever with a permanent endowment. An endowed fund is held in perpetuity and the funds are prudently invested to grow over time. A portion of the funds’ balance (4 to 5%) is usually paid out to make grants addressing community needs. The rest of the investment yield is returned to the principal so the fund can continue to grow. Your gift – and all future earnings from your gift – is a permanent source of community capital, helping do good work today and in the future.
Legacy and stability. Donors who endow their gifts can make a difference in their community during their lifetime and, at the time, provide a gift that lasts forever. Grants will continue to be made in the name of the fund you establish so that your charitable wishes are preserved.
Why would establishing an Endowment Fund with the Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way be right for me?
► I care deeply about my community and want to see it develop and prosper for future generations.
► I want to create a personal or family legacy in my community that will last well after I am gone.
► I want to create a fund that can make a significant and lasting impact on my community.
► I want to support important charitable causes and community needs.
► I want the flexibility to be able to decide how my charitable dollars will be used.
► I want to receive maximum tax benefit for my charitable contribution under state and federal tax law.
► I want to receive an additional tax credit of 25% of the amount of the gift.
► I want to make sure my gift is invested prudently and management professionally.
► I want to establish a fund that does not have the costs and taxes associated with establishing a private foundation.
25% Endow Iowa Tax Credits:
Endow Iowa was created to allow new and innovative opportunities for donors to enhance the quality of life in their communities. To be eligible to receive a 25% Endow Iowa tax credit, charitable gifts must be made to a qualified community foundation (Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way is a qualified community foundation) to establish an endowment fund to benefit of one or more charitable causes. The tax credit is 25% of the gift amount in addition to federal income tax deductions for charitable gifts. A donor can qualify for $100,000 in tax credits. Individuals, corporations or financial institutions are eligible to receive the tax credits. The endowed fund must be established to benefit charitable nonprofit organizations in Iowa. An endowed fund can be started at the Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way for as little as $5,000.
Endowment Fund Options: Donors have four basic options for establishing an endowment fund.
1. Donor-advised Fund:A donor-advised fund offers donors the opportunity to create an easy-to-establish and flexible vehicle for charitable giving. It allows a donor to recommend how much of their fund will contribute to charitable causes each year and for what purpose. Donor-advised funds provide donors with flexibility and convenience along with the full tax advantages associated with charitable giving. Donor-advised funds are one of the most effective charitable giving tools available to anyone looking to create a charitable legacy that can last for many generations.
2. Field of Interest Fund: A field of interest fund is an endowed fund established to specifically support a particular are of interest such as human services, recreation, education, health, the arts, public safety, the environment, etc.
3. Designated Fund: A designated fund is an endowed fund established to support a specific nonprofit organization such as a museum, library, school, human service organization, etc. These funds can support the operations of the nonprofit or a specific program or project of the nonprofit.
4. Community Fund: The Community Fund is an endowed fund established to support general community needs today and in the future. There is a real need for a flexible, unrestricted fund to respond to local needs. This fund works like a savings account protecting and serving our community's most pressing needs. The use of the earnings with this fund is determined by the Board of Directors of the Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way, which is rigorous in evaluating the impact of its grant-making so donors can be assured that their investments are making a real difference in their community.
Legacy Society: The Legacy Society is comprised of individuals who have made plans to leave a significant gift to the Fort Dodge Endowment through their estate plan or another type of planned gift such as a charitable remainder trust.
Funding Priorities
Fund Options
Funding Priorities
Fund Options
Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way
822 Central Avenue Suite 405
Fort Dodge, Iowa 50501
(515) 573-3179
www.fd-foundation.org
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead