Fund Types

What is a fund type? A fund type is defined by its purpose, the means used to disburse grants, and level of donor involvement.

The Beaver Dam Area Community Foundation offers our donors the following fund options:

  • Unrestricted Fund: Unrestricted funds are granted at the discretion of the Foundation’s Advisory Committee who determine where the greatest needs are in the community. Undesignated funds offer great flexibility in meeting existing and future community needs.
  • Designated Fund: With designated funds, you identify one or more qualified nonprofits or projects as beneficiaries when you create the fund. Your gift can address either immediate or long-term needs, and we will handle all the asset management and disbursements.
  • Donor-Advised Fund: Donor-advised funds offer maximum flexibility for granting with immediate tax benefits. Fund holders retain the ability to recommend grants to qualified charities. We take care of tracking grantees, processing payments, and reporting. The funder maintains ongoing advisory involvement and can also name children, or anyone else, as additional or successor advisors to the fund.
  • Field of Interest Fund: With a Field of Interest Fund, donors can support their favorite cause…forever. The donor selects the purpose of their fund (arts, health, education, etc.) and the Foundation identifies projects that will most effectively accomplish their goals. Our Advisory Committee awards grants to community organizations and programs that are making a difference in the area you select. Your gift stays flexible enough to meet community needs in your interest area – even as community needs change over time.
  • Scholarship Fund: Scholarship funds help individuals pursue post-secondary educational goals and opportunities. Donors can contribute to existing funds or start new ones, as well as recommend scholarship guidelines.
  • Acorn Fund: Donors to an acorn fund make an initial gift of at least $1,000 and build the fund over time until an endowment level of $10,000 is reached. When the Acorn Fund reaches $10,000 in gifts and interest, it matures into a permanent endowment fund.
  • Temporary or Non-Permanent Fund: This fund will help a donor accomplish a specific charitable objective or project that may be short-term in nature. Two examples of this type of fund would be:
    • a fund to accept contributions for a capital campaign or for a specific project.
    • a fund that would provide a charitable benefit for a limited amount of time and would then be "spent down."