How to Give
BCF works directly with donors to understand their philanthropic vision and to create a fund to support causes most important to them. For donors who want to give in perpetuity, their charitable funds are aggregated, invested and managed to achieve greater returns. This makes it possible for smaller individual funds to enjoy the same economies of scale as a large foundation.
For donors who want to set aside funds to give away over a period of up to 5 years, we establish a non-endowed fund. Email admin@bcf.bm for information on non-endowed funds.
Put simply, we:
- Work to understand your vision and provide expert advice
- Create a fund that reflects your vision and sets forth your charitable wishes
- Manage your fund’s assets and make gifts to your favourite causes
- Promote giving from others to increase philanthropic dollars for Bermuda to leverage your investment.
Once an endowment fund is set up, the donor is encouraged to make gifts to that fund. These gifts may be made during your lifetime or as part of a longer-term legacy plan. We understand that the kind of giving you want to do depends on your life stage. All money deposited to an endowment fund is invested by BCF, and each year, investment income is distributed to the local community as directed by you, the donor, if you wish.
We manage the donor funds over time, vet the nonprofits if you wish, make disbursements, and handle the reporting. We may also research nonprofits and programmes, and prepare a grant-spending plan for your fund.
Our grant-making staff checks proposed grants against your fund’s purpose and any other guidelines you’ve given us. After we make each grant, we can monitor the results. With some fund types (see some options below!), you can also invite others from the community to invest in your field of interest, which may change to keep up with the times.
The whole community benefits from knowing where donations are going and how they have been spent.