Annual Fund Service Fees
Like most community foundations, the DeKalb County Community Foundation assesses minimal annual service fees to support the administration of your Fund. These fees help ensure the long-term sustainability of your charitable impact by covering essential services such as investment oversight, grant processing, donor engagement, and compliance.
In addition, Fund service fees support the Foundation’s broader philanthropic efforts—ensuring your charitable gifts uphold the highest standards and continue to make a meaningful difference throughout DeKalb County.
Value of Fund Fees
In exchange for these nominal fees, the Community Foundation delivers a wide range of value-added benefits:
- Flexibility - We work with you to ensure your gift achieves your full charitable intent, even if that means multiple charities from one gift.
- Tax Advantages - Contributions to the Community Foundation are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.
- Asset Management - Our Finance Committee, comprised of savvy, financial-minded Foundation Board members, works closely with investment managers to ensure responsible stewardship of your gift.
- Convenience - A charitable Fund can often be established in a single meeting. From there, we take care of government filings, legal compliance, and audit requirements.
- Resources - Our professional staff connects people who care with causes that matter, offering personalized support along the way.
- Economy and Efficiency -We operate with a lean structure to minimize administrative costs and maximize the charitable impact of your Fund.
- Immediate and Long-term Impact – Your gifts have an impact today and in the future. Our history of solid financial stewardship assures donors' charitable desires are met now and for generations to come.
- Personalization - Donors can customize a Fund and open it using various assets, including bequests, life insurance, IRA transfers, and more.
- Standard of Excellence - The Community Foundation is nationally accredited by the Council on Foundations, a mark of trust, accountability, and operational excellence.
Fee Calculation
Administrative fees are assessed quarterly—on January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1—based on the type of Fund. The fee is calculated as a percentage of the Fund’s market value on the first day of each quarter and applied at an annual rate.
There is no set-up fee to open a Fund at the Community Foundation.
Unless otherwise specified through a special agreement with a donor, the following annual administrative fees apply (effective April 1, 2024):
Fee Percentage | Fund Type | Fund Description |
|---|---|---|
1.0% | Agency Fund | Created by nonprofit organizations to provide stable income to support their work. |
1.0% | Community Impact Fund (Undesignated) | Offer the broadest giving option, allowing grant direction wherever our Board and staff determine the greatest community’s needs are. |
1.0% | Designated Fund | Provide support to specific and eligible organizations in the community. |
1.0% | Designated Administrative Fund | Provide direct support to the Community Foundation operations. |
1.0% | Donor Advised Fund | Enable the donor to recommend grants to eligible organizations. |
1.0% | Field of Interest Fund | Provide support to a particular field or geographic area that is of interest to the donor. |
1.5% | Scholarship Fund | Provide scholarship awards to students for continuing education. |
2.0% | Pass Through Fund | Support projects with the principal of the Fund eventually used up for the intended purpose. |
1.5 - 3.0%of total amount granted | Nontypical Grants | Grant services fee. See *Note below. |
*Note: The grant services fee applies to nontypical grant activities in which a donor directs a donation to the Community Foundation with the intention of granting the money immediately.
- Donors who maintain or advise an existing endowed Fund at the Foundation incur a 1.5% fee on the total grant amount.
- Donors who do not maintain or advise an existing endowed Fund at the Foundation incur a 3% fee on the total grant amount.
- The grant services fee does not apply to Give DeKalb County donations.
For more information about annual service fees for Funds at the Community Foundation, please contact Executive Director Dan Templin at 815-748-5383 or dan@dekalbccf.org.
