With Bermuda Community Foundation – Bermuda’s only community foundation – it's possible to give back to your community now, and leave a legacy for the future as well. We work with you to set up an endowment fund – a kind of savings account dedicated to philanthropy. We help you put aside money that will be used for the charity or project of your choice.

Over time, BCF will help thousands of donors make a positive difference in this community, and in the lives of the people who live here.

The art of giving

It's easy to set up your own endowment fund.  We will do all the paperwork, and we look after issuing your grant cheques. You just need to make three decisions:

• 1. Timing

  Choose the timing. Do you want your endowment fund to be established:
  • immediately (and you can start giving grants right away)
  • in a short time, through a savings program
  • later, through your estate.

• 2. Type of fund

  Decide on the type of fund you would like:
  • Donor-Advised Fund – you select all charities or projects that will benefit (may include Scholarships and Bursaries under special circumstances)
  • Field of Interest Fund – you dedicate your funds to a general area (like Arts and Culture, or Animal Welfare) and one of our advisory committees decides on the specific charity or project to support
  • Community Impact Fund – pool your money with others to address emerging community needs.
  • An unrestricted fund in your family’s name or someone you wish to honor- These funds are flexible and will thus be available to meet unanticipated needs and emerging issues as they arise. This fund is ideal for donors who want their philanthropy to meet critical needs of the day—and of years to come.
  • BCF Administrative and Operating Fund – contribute to the operating expenses of BCF, allowing the foundation to administer donor funds, build the organisation and encourage other potential donors to set up a fund.  You can also make an unrestricted gift to the endowment.
  • Support an existing fund at BCF

• 3. Finances

  You can choose any number of financial instruments to set up your fund. There are many options, including cash, securities, and life insurance

Not ready to set up your own fund but want to give? See what funds we provide.

BCF can assist your organization to develop and administer a strategic giving plan that creates a measurable impact in the community. Companies can outsource their entire charitable giving program, or a particular part of it to BCF for expert management and maximum impact.

Set up a Fund

Corporate advised funds may be opened with a donation of $25,000 or more. In the near future, a range of assets, including stock or real estate may be used to establish or add to a corporate fund.

BCF is committed to making it as easy as possible for organizations to create corporate advised funds.

Please call us to tell us that you are interested in establishing a fund at BCF - 441.294.4959. A member of staff can be available to meet with your board of directors to answer any questions they may have about BCF and our corporate endowment program. 

Outsourced Grantmaking

BCF can make your corporate giving easier by alleviating costs associated with staffing and administering your corporate giving programme or family philanthropy. For donors who do not have a full-time or primary person to manage their charitable giving programme or who wish to outsource all or part of the grant-making function, we offer three levels of service:

1. General Access to Grant-making Information
2. Fully-Managed Grant-making Services—BCF makes grants on behalf of the donor to best and maximum impact
• Option 1: Management of unsolicited applications and proposal
• Option 2: Strategy-driven grant-making process—RFP for grant proposals
3. Fee-Based Donor-Advised Grantmaking Services—BCF provides advice and support to a donor who does not have a BCF Donor Fund; donor makes final recommendations
   Corporate and family donors benefit from cost and resource efficiencies built into the structure. BCF’s information services are run on a shared technology platform and all grant-making processes are clustered and executed on a quarterly cycle.
   
   Donors and their designates, i.e. families, trustees, employees or in-house corporate philanthropy committees, can be involved as much or as little as is wished in the community foundation’s outsourced grant-making process.

Permanent Funding. While competitive grants may be crucial to your organization’s operations, they are likely your least reliable source of revenue.  An agency endowment fund can generate a predictable stream of income for your mission while the rest of your investment grows in perpetuity – so you can do good forever.

Non-profit agencies can set up their own endowment fund as a way to ensure a consistent stream of income that can be used to support their charitable and other goals.  Currently, BCF administers several agency and designated agency funds of different sizes and types. We are eager to help your organization too.

By placing your agency's endowment fund with BCF, you benefit from the substantial experience and knowledge of our financial and investment advisors. They can offer advice and guidance on everything from what financial tools can be used to set up the endowment, to ideas for marketing your endowment.

As well, through BCF, we can help link your agency to other funds, partnerships, or opportunities that may help achieve your charitable goals.

Why start an agency endowment fund at Bermuda Community Foundation?

We offer predictability
An endowment fund generates a permanent, predictable stream of income for your mission while the rest of your investment grows in perpetuity - so you can do good forever

We protect your money
Gifts to your fund are above board. Your fund agreement offers the flexibility to meet immediate needs, yet ensures assets are always there to meet your long-term mission. The community foundation protects them from being spent for any other purpose.

We invest your funds prudently
Our investment aims for superior long-term returns with minimal risk. Our average annualized net target is 7 percent. We take our responsibility of preserving the endowment for future generations seriously, and our Finance and Investment Committees are committed to maintaining a diverse, balanced portfolio managed by trusted advisors.

We make your work easy
Once the community foundation receives a gift to your fund, we process and acknowledge that gift immediately, usually within 5 business days. We reconcile your fund monthly and mail quarterly financial statements to the fund representative of your choice.

We offer visibility and credibility
Having an endowment fund at the community foundation shows you are a viable, sustainable organization. It also gets your name in front of thousands of community foundation donors and fundholders, both in print publications and on our website.

As a professional advisor, you help your clients create and realize a personal philanthropic vision. With knowledge of community issues, experienced granting and flexible giving options we can provide you with the resources you need to help better serve your clients.

By working with BCF, professional advisors – such as estate planners, attorneys, accountants, and others – can help their clients fulfill their financial and charitable goals. At BCF, we work as your partner – you stay in control of your client relationships, and we can help you provide a full range of services.  Here are a number of ways we can help:

1. Charitable giving expertise

   Whether it's setting up an alternative to a private foundation, or putting together a complicated estate plan, we can create giving plans tailored to your clients' particular needs.

2. Community expertise

   With our advisory committee, comprising people involved in the civic sector fields, and our connections to the community, BCF offers grass roots knowledge and advice that can help your clients be as effective as possible in their giving.

3. Connect across generations

   When you help families establish an advised fund with BCF, you and the family can stay involved for generations.

4. Donate a variety of assets

   In the near future, your clients can give to the BCF using a variety of assets, including cash, appreciated securities, and real estate. These assets can be given now or later, as part of an estate plan. Click here to complete a Confidential Statement of Bequest Intention.

5. Make a difference in the lives of your clients and your community

   By partnering with BCF, you may be able to help your clients increase their heirs' inheritance, leave a legacy in the community, as well as teach their children about philanthropy.