GCF offers donors four types of charitable funds, depending on the degree of involvement the donor wishes to retain with respect to grantmaking.

Unrestricted Funds
Unrestricted funds are ideal for forward-thinking individuals who know that the needs of the community are constantly changing and who want their charitable dollars to be responsive to such ongoing change. Unrestricted fund donors entrust to the Foundation’s Governing Board and staff the responsibility to identify and address evolving needs in the Greater Cincinnati community by making grants to worthy local nonprofit applicants.

Field of Interest Funds
Field of interest funds are suited for donors who want to benefit a particular interest area (for example, art education, children’s issues, or senior services) but do not want to designate the specific nonprofit organizations that will receive grants.

Restricted Funds
Restricted funds are available for donors who have specific ideas about which charities or causes they would like to benefit over time. There are several subcategories of restricted funds at the Foundation:

• Through a designated fund a donor can perpetuate his or her charitable giving by naming one or more specific organizations to receive distributable income year after year.
  
• Similarly, by establishing an organization endowment fund a local nonprofit (as opposed to an individual donor) can establish a permanent endowment at the Foundation that will last for all time.
  
• A donor who wishes to focus his or her philanthropy in education or technical training can establish a scholarship fund that will grant awards on the basis of criteria selected by the donor.

Donor Advised Funds
Donor advised funds are suitable for donors who want to be involved, during their lifetime, in the grantmaking from the fund. After a donor advised fund is established, donors may suggest grants from the fund to any U.S. public charity. The Governing Board retains the right to review and approve all donor grant suggestions and is not legally bound by these suggestions.

The Foundation’s Donor Connections program was designed to familiarize donor advisors with the quarterly grantmaking activities of GCF and to encourage them to partner with the Foundation in making grants that support important community projects. GCF staff is happy to discuss these fund options with you and to assist in determining which fund type is most appropriate to the fulfillment of your charitable goals.

Please see Frequently Asked Questions About Donor Advised Funds for more details.