Open a Fund

Start building a lasting legacy.

How to Open a Fund

  • What are you passionate about?
  • Where and how do you want your giving to impact the community?
  • What tax benefits are you hoping to achieve?
  • Do you want to involve the next generation of your family in your giving?

Consider Your Income Needs

  • Would you like to make a charitable gift and receive income for the remainder of your lifetime or a set period of years? Both are possible with a charitable gift annuity or a charitable remainder trust.
  • Would you like to make a charitable gift now, but preserve some wealth for your heirs after your lifetime? You may be interested in a charitable lead trust.

Read more about your giving options.

  • Support the broadest range of local needs.
  • Support a variety of organizations within a particular field, such as education, hunger, the environment, or animal welfare.
  • Support various organizations at your recommendation.
  • Benefit one or more specific charitable organization(s).
  • Create scholarships for students seeking higher education.

Read more about Types of Funds.

  • Establish your fund during your lifetime.
  • Establish your fund through your will or trust.

  • Cash
  • Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds
  • Bank Accounts and CDs
  • Real Estate
  • Crops and Livestock
  • Retirement Account Assets
  • Life Insurance

Read more about Ways to Give.

Name Your Fund

  • Funds can be named for you, your family, an organization or business, or to honor or memorialize someone.
  • Choose anonymity and name your fund something related to its purpose and/or beneficiary.
  • Get creative! The name of your fund is up to you and can be nearly anything you want.

Sign the Fund Agreement

  • Once you complete and sign the fund agreement, we will begin to help you meet your charitable goals, assuring your wishes are met in perpetuity.

Contact Us Any Time

  • We're here to make your philanthropic goals a reality and we're always available to help and answer questions. Don't hesitate to contact us!

Honoring Their Memory

Setting up a fund in memory of a loved one is a great way you can honor their legacy. The Rita, Jake and Kyle Beck Fund was established at the Montana Community Foundation to honor a mother, and her two sons, lost too soon. The fund supports a myriad of charitable causes that were near and dear to Rita, Jake, and Kyle.

Frequently Asked Questions

The minimum contribution to establish an endowed fund at MCF is $25,000, or $100,000 for scholarship funds. This may be donated in a single lump sum or cumulatively over five years. For charitable organizations that establish both an Agency and a Designated fund, the balance of the two funds can be combined to meet the required minimum contribution.

An endowment is a fund held in perpetuity for charitable benefit. As the fund grows, returns are used to support the designated beneficiary organization, field of interest, etc. An endowment can be funded by a variety of assets such as cash, property or securities. Learn more.

All endowed funds are pooled and invested in MCF’s managed pooled portfolio. This pool of funds is managed by independent investment managers selected by and under supervision of the MCF Investment Committee. See more about our investments.

Community Impact Fees are the fees associated with managing funds. All fees are established and reviewed by the MCF Board and are kept as low as possible to maximize a fund’s charitable giving power. Please refer to the Investments and Financials Page to see our Fee Schedule.

The fund representative is the official point of contact for MCF in all matters relating to the fund. The representative is appointed at the time a fund is established, and he/she may appoint a new or successor representative at any time by notifying MCF in writing.

Payments to beneficiaries of endowed funds are made annually in March. Fund representatives may choose to reinvest all earnings, after payment of fees, in order to build principal. To change a fund’s status to re-invest, the fund representative must notify MCF by December 31 prior to the distribution cycle. No distributions are made until the fund reaches the required minimum contribution amount.

MCF's online portal provides you with 24/7 access to your fund account at MCF. Fund statements are available and show a summary of endowment fund activity for the previous year, including detailed information on contributions, distributions, fees and total returns.

Not sure which fund is right for you?

We're here to help you create the perfect fund to achieve your philanthropic dreams and goals.