Individual and Family Giving
We care about our homes and our communities, the places we have lived, worked and raised our families. Many of us want to find a way to give back to the community that that has helped shape us.
Working with the Foundation, you can give back to your community now, and leave a legacy for the future as well. You can donate to an existing fund, or we can work with you to set up your own endowment fund dedicated to supporting the organizations and causes you care about. A permanent, named endowment fund can be created with a minimum gift or pledge of $10,000.
Many families choose to work with the Community Foundation as an alternative to setting up a private foundation because of our connections to the community, and simply because it’s easier administratively. It’s like having your own family foundation, but without all the expense and book-keeping. Families can then focus on the most fulfilling part… giving.
“The work of the Community Foundation inspires Nancy and myself to do more. We don’t live in isolation in this community, so when members step forward, we realize, ‘We’re a part of that community and we should be doing something too’”.
–Bill Gray
Create a Fund
It’s easy to set up your own endowment fund. We will do all the paperwork, and look after issuing your annual grant cheques. You simply need to make four decisions:
1.The Timing:
Do you want your fund to be established:
- Now (and you can start giving grants and seeing impact right away)
- Over time, through monthly or annual contributions
- Later, through your estate
2.The Type of Fund:
Pick the Type of Fund based on what you would like to support and how involved in the annual decision making you want to be. We have a variety of fund types to choose from, and we can help you pick the one that is right for you based on your interests.
3.The Payout Option:
You can choose from:
- A traditional endowment fund – a ‘forever fund’ where only earnings will be spent (minimum $10,000)
- An ‘enhanced spending’ or ‘spend down’ fund – which will draw down the capital of your fund over time; so it won’t last forever, but it will grant more money out each year (minimum $25,000)
4.How to Give:
We make giving easy. You can choose any number of financial tools to establish and grow your fund, including: cheque, credit card, securities, life insurance, or charitable bequest. Your gift can be one time, or pledged over a period of time (monthly or annually).
Creation of a fund does not require a large initial donation. All we ask is that you meet the fund minimum within five years. You decide how much you want to give over what period of time.
Donate to an Existing Fund
With over 200 funds, you can be sure to find one that aligns with your personal interests. There are several places you can direct your donation:
In Support of Our Community Grants Program
- Community Fund: our broadest endowment fund that supports local projects in all our fields of interest.
- Smart & Caring Community Fund: our new enhanced spending fund that invests in projects that address identified priority needs in our community.
- Any of our Field of Interest Funds: where you can pick the area you would like to your funds to support – from arts and culture to youth and the environment.
In Support of the Foundation
- General Operating Fund: to support our current year’s operational needs
- Operating Endowment Fund to support the long-term operational needs of the Foundation
In Support of a Charity or Cause You Care About
- Find a Fund that aligns with your interests: view our Funds List for descriptions of all our funds, including over 20 endowment funds we hold for local charities.
Ways to Give
The Community Foundation offers a variety of giving options. Whether it’s setting up an endowment fund, contributing to an existing fund, or making a legacy gift, we work with you to meet your financial needs and your personal philanthropic goals.
Here are a few of the most popular ways to give:
Online by Credit Card or VISA Debit Card
For convenience you can’t beat online gifts. If you’re ready to make your gift now, then click here to be directed to our secure online donation page. You have the option of choosing any one of our funds, giving ‘in memory of/in honour of’ instructions, and more.
Or, if you prefer, you can simply call our office and speak to a team member to make your donation over the phone using your Visa or MasterCard.
You can make a one-time gift, or sign up to make a regular monthly donation.
Cheque
Please make your cheque payable to Community Foundation for Kingston & Area (or “CFKA”), and write your intended fund in the memo line. Send it to us at 275 Ontario Street, Suite #100, Kingston, ON, K7K 2X5.
Publicly-Traded Securities
For maximum tax advantage, do you know that you can give gifts of appreciated securities (stocks, bonds, mutual funds) to avoid paying income tax on capital gains and maximize the amount of your charitable gift? It’s a true win-win situation!
A gift of publicly-traded securities is the transfer of ownership of stocks or bonds to the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area. If you own shares that have increased in value, 50 per cent of the capital gains are taxable. However, if you donate these shares in-kind to the Foundation, the entire gain is tax-exempt.
We’re set up to make this easy for you, so contact us at 613.546.9696 or info@cfka.org to learn more.
Click here to learn more and to get the authorization and direction forms.
Options for Giving Later
Charitable Bequest
Leave a bequest to the Foundation in your Will. Bequests can be a specific dollar amount, a particular asset or a residual gift (the entire residue or portion of your estate). Bequests can be given either outright or as a contingent gift.
Your bequest may be used to establish a new fund in your name, be added to a fund that you or your family has established during your lifetime, or be added to any of our existing funds.
The Foundation will provide your estate with an official donation receipt when the bequest gift is realized; which can be used to obtain a tax credit on your estate’s final income tax return to reduce the tax payable.
Click here to view some sample will clauses for your Will that your lawyer can use as a guide. Contact us at 613.546.9696 or info@cfka.org for further information or to let us know that you have made a gift to us in your Will so we can recognize you as a Legacy Circle member.
Learn more about creating a permanent legacy with the Community Foundation.
Life Insurance
You can provide a sizeable future gift to the Foundation at an affordable current cost, without reducing what you give to family and friends through your estate.
The Community Foundation for Kingston & Area can be named as the beneficiary of an existing but no longer needed life insurance policy, or you may wish to take out a new policy in order to plan for a significant future charitable gift. If you designate the Foundation as the irrevocable beneficiary or owner and beneficiary of your life insurance policy, we will be able to provide you with an official receipt for income tax purposes for the amount of premium you pay each year, and for the cash surrender value of the policy at the time of the gift.
RRSP/RRIF/TFSA
Name the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area as the beneficiary of your Registered Retirement Savings Plan, Registered Retirement Income Fund or Tax Free Savings Account and make a significant donation, while saving your Estate from paying the Estate Administration tax on the proceeds.
Contact
For further information on any of these ways to give, or to request a meeting with a member of our team explore the best way for you give, contact us at 613.546.9696.
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275 Ontario Street Suite #100
Kingston, ON K7K 2X5
Phone: 613.546.9696
Fax: 613.531.9238
Email: info@cfka.org
