Scholarship Funds

Investing in the continued success of our community’s students is a forward-thinking investment in the future. The Community Foundation offers scholarship funds to help donors magnify the way in which they offer support to future generations of learners and leaders.

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“My late husband Larry Carter dreamed of providing financial assistance to African-American students seeking higher education. Our fund at the Community Foundation will continue his legacy and make a difference in the lives of students for many years to come."

- Linda Carter-Lewis

Benefits of a Scholarship Fund

Personal

Scholarship funds can be established in honor or memory of a loved one to recognize their legacy. Scholarship funds can also be named to recognize your family, business or an area of interest.

Enduring

You can make a permanent impact on the lives of recipients, who may be inspired by this act of generosity to consider ways to continue this tradition of giving.

Flexible

You can establish a scholarship fund now or through your will. We will work alongside you and your professional advisors to consider tax-wise giving opportunities to support your scholarship fund in the ways that best suit you. The Community Foundation can accept gifts of many types, including appreciated securities, real estate, business interests, personal tangible property, retirement plans, life insurance and agricultural assets.

Efficient

Contributions can be made to your scholarship fund at anytime with the possibility of accessing unique tax-wise giving opportunities like the Endow Iowa Tax Credit, a 25% state tax credit, for those who contribute to the fund.

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"Working with the Community Foundation provides us with a sustainable way of supporting East High School students who will, in turn, benefit Greater Des Moines."

- Brad Brown

 

Consider a Scholarship Fund if You:

  • Value education and want to pursue opportunities to support learners and future generations of leaders.
  • Seek to honor the legacy of a loved one, a business or an organization that values advancing educational opportunities.
  • Are interested in providing tax-wise giving opportunities for others to join you in supporting the success of students through your scholarship fund.

Financial Facts

  • The minimum amount required to establish a scholarship fund is $50,000 and all scholarship funds must be endowed. 
  • The ability to combine funds into professionally managed portfolios allows greater diversification of investments and access to investment vehicles that would not be possible for individual funds. 
  • The Community Foundation is about more than transactions; we are about transformation.  While fees collected for funds held at the Community Foundation support the processing of grant checks, accepting and acknowledging donations, completing annual audits and reporting; our fees also make you part of the change we enable in the communities we serve. It's the community convenings, the strategic grantmaking, the donor-connections, the facilitated dialogues, the nonprofit trainings and the promotion of charitable giving that ultimately transforms the communities we call home. Thank you for joining us to improve quality of life in your community.  We're simply better together.