14 Manitoba
EVERYTHING YOU DIDN'T KNOW
- BUT WANTED TO -
ABOUT
Endowment
Funds
W
hen you work at a community
foundation, you quickly recognize
a 'glazed-over' look when you
try to explain endowments to
someone who doesn't work with them daily. It's
understandable—and a challenge! The Winnipeg
Foundation, helps get people excited about
what their generosity can do for our community
through an endowment fund. Hopefully, this
article will answer some of your burning
questions about endowments.
An endowment fund is a type of fund that
many community foundations and other
charities offer to donors. It's a kind of
'savings account' for your community.
But let's not confuse an endowment
fund with banking—they are so much
more! Because of generations
of generous donors, endowment
funds have a huge impact on our
community.
Through the endowment fund
model, gifts to an endowment fund
are never spent—they are invested, and
the interest earned is what is available
to grant each year. Gifts to endowment funds
are pooled together, which strengthens the
investment and creates effective returns for
grant-making. When The Winnipeg Foundation
uses the tagline 'For Good. Forever.' it reflects
that your gift will support the community (for
good) in perpetuity (forever).
THE WINNIPEG FOUNDATION
LuAnn Lovlin,vice president of
Communications and Marketing. Submitted photo
