Giving Tools

The Foundation has an array of fund types and giving tools to choose from. Frankly, the list can seem a little overwhelming! So we encourage you to simply contact us and schedule a time to talk it through with our staff. But if you’d prefer to explore more before meeting with us, you can find the details on this page.

As explained below, these giving tools fall into three categories:

A Fund that you create at the Foundation. A “Fund” is basically an account that you set up at the Foundation and donate into. It will them make the specific type(s) of grants and scholarships that you want. There are many types of Funds.
A Fund that already exists. You can donate into a Fund that is already supporting the community in the way that you want to support the community.
“Split-interest vehicles,” which are charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, and charitable gift annuities.

Professional Advisors Fund Advisor Portal

To learn more about using one of these giving tools, contact us at 509-529-4371 or email us here.

“Fund” facts!

Funds can be permanent (exist forever) or exist for a certain time-frame. Funds can support specific nonprofits or “whatever your town needs most.” A Scholarship Fund can provide a scholarship for a student going to any type of post-secondary education, including apprenticeships and other technical programs.

Types of Funds

Below are sections of information that explain the types of funds that can be established at the Foundation. Click on the arrow or empty space next to a headline to open or close that section. The information below is not exhaustive. As of July 2026 as we build out a new website, the sections below are still under construction. Please contact us if you don’t see the information you are looking for or have questions!

A qualified charitable organization (agency) transfers assets to Blue Mountain Community Foundation (BMCF) to create a long-term endowment fund or a short-term reserve. These funds are fully invested by BMCF and the organization itself receives the annual distribution or grant from the fund. Only charities may create an agency fund.

Note: Individual donors may give to a fund at BMCF to support a particular charity but may not donate directly to an organization’s agency fund.

People interested in providing annual support to one or more charities or nonprofit organizations may do so by creating a designated endowment fund. The charity or charities you choose to support will receive an annual grant in perpetuity without having to submit a proposal or submit reports about its use of the funds unless you desire it. You and others can add to the fund at any time.

The community foundation is familiar with the charitable sector in the region and monitors its grants and grant recipients. At the time you establish your fund at BMCF, we will discuss what would happen in the event the charity you designated no longer exists or changes its mission.

A gift to establish a discretionary fund helps meet the changing needs of the Blue Mountain area, now and in the future. Discretionary funds broadly support the well-being and vitality of the Blue Mountain area and its residents and are distributed to qualified organizations seeking support through the Foundation’s grant-making program.

When you establish a discretionary fund, you leave decisions about the use of your gift to the Foundation, relying on the Foundation’s extensive experience and reach within the community to know where grants will have the greatest impact.

A “Field of Interest” fund helps people support their town, county or an issue that is important to them. Some examples include education, the arts, health, and the environment. These funds provide annual support in perpetuity for the specific town, county or issue while leaving the selection of the specific purpose of the individual grants to a local advisory committee. Field of Interest funds are truly examples of “local wealth under local control for the good of the community.”

Donors specifically interested in promoting education often establish scholarship funds. Scholarships may support any level of education and can be directed toward students attending a particular school, studying in a particular field or coming from a particular geographical area. Establishing a new scholarship fund requires an initial $25,000 minimum investment.

Blue Mountain Community Foundation administers the fund within the tax laws regarding scholarship grants, publicizes the scholarship and chooses scholarship recipients. The Foundation also can establish selection criteria.

Donors may wish to set up a sustaining endowment fund for the long-term operation and efficiency of the Blue Mountain Community Foundation. Grants from this fund go directly to supporting programs that encourage donors to invest in the Blue Mountain area and ensure that dollars are used to enhance the long-term economic and social vitality of area communities.

Have you ever thought about having your own Foundation? Would you consider joining Blue Mountain Community Foundation (BMCF) in its grant-making? Do you want to separate your tax planning from investing in your community? Do you want a way to manage your giving across a lifetime, not just year to year?

If you answered “yes” to some or all of the above, a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) at BMCF could be for you.

These funds allow fund donors/advisers to recommend grants to charitable organizations, addressing the issues and needs they care about most.

Frequently Asked Questions

You can give lots of things. The easiest gifts come from cash and securities, such as stocks of public companies. The Foundation has authorized other gifts too, but reserves the right to review—and possibly decline—certain gifts before accepting them. Examples of these types of gifts include real estate, ownership in private companies and personal property, such as art.

When you make a gift to your donor-advised fund, you complete a contribution to the BMCF. In terms of tax treatment and legal matters, you have completed a gift. A donor-advised fund allows you, or someone you designate, the right to advise or recommend to what organization(s) some or all of your gift should be distributed. We call this making a grant.

As a community foundation, the ultimate authority is the board of trustees. With a donor advised fund, you “recommend a grant” for the board’s approval. They are not required to approve it. There are certain types of grants that may not legally be made from a donor-advised fund. However, in most cases, your recommendation will be approved and a grant will be issued in the name of your fund.

Under federal law, the Foundation is bound to decline certain types of grants. For example, the Foundation cannot make a grant from a fund that fulfills a legally binding pledge you make to a charity. Since the balance in your fund is the property of the Foundation, you can’t make an agreement with another charity on the Foundation’s behalf. You can tell a charity that you will recommend a grant from your fund.

Another example is that you may not receive a benefit for having made a grant. This does not mean a token gift like a coffee mug or your fund name being listed in a nonprofit publication. A benefit comes from something like seating preference for football season tickets.

As part of underwriting your grant recommendation, Foundation staff will seek to understand whether or not your recommendation is OK under the law.

The best way is through Fund Manager, our online system. If you need assistance, contact us (509) 529-4371. We’re here to help!

Here’s how it works:

With an initial gift of $10,000 or more and a completed New Fund Form, a donor-advised fund is created. Name your fund the way you choose: after family, a business or another name of your choice. Donors may create an endowed or nonendowed donor-advised fund.

The main difference between endowed and non-endowed donor-advised funds:

Endowed donor-advised fund: A small portion, based on the Foundation’s Spending Policy, is available each year to make grants.

Non-endowed donor-advised fund: The entire balance is available to make grants.
For both endowed and nonendowed donor-advised funds, you can choose an investment strategy that fits your grant-making plans by completing the Distribution Recommendation Form.
To get started, contact us for a New Fund Form.

This explanation is coming soon.