Q: What is the Catholic Foundation?
A: The Catholic Foundation is a separate 501(c)(3) organization established to serve the Catholic community here in northeastern Wisconsin. We partner with local families and individuals to support the ministries of the diocese, their parish, and other nonprofit organizations. We do this in many ways — through the Bishop’s Appeal, World Mission Collections, the one by One campaign, and by establishing endowments, funds, and donor-advised funds.
Q: What is an endowment?
A: Families set up an endowment for a specific purpose, for example, to benefit their parish, a diocesan ministry, or other charity. Typically, an endowment distributes 5% of the fund every year forever. An endowment is a great way to leave a legacy and support those causes you love most for generations to come.
Q: What is a Donor Advised Fund?
A: An increasingly popular charitable-giving tool, a Donor Advised Fund is a simple and flexible account that allows you to make charitable gifts – for which you receive immediate tax benefits – and then recommends grants to your parish or favorite charity whenever you want. Typically, these distributions are 5% of the fair market value of the fund. Over time, as the fund’s principal grows, the donor has more money to recommend being distributed to a charity than what would have been available through the original gift(s). Donor Advised Funds support your parish, Catholic school, diocesan ministries, and/or Catholic organizations you love while supporting the mission of the Church. It is a beautiful way to leave your legacy.
Q: How does the Catholic Foundation work with a family to leave a legacy?
A: One of our great joys is helping families leave a legacy. Many times, a family reaches out to us when they are creating or changing their will. A benefit of working with the Foundation is our deep knowledge of the needs of the Church and other nonprofits. If you are interested in visiting the Catholic Foundation about your legacy, please contact us at catholicfoundationgb.org/legacy2024.
Q: What makes the Catholic Foundation unique?
A: Simply put, our Catholic faith. We are overseen by a Catholic Board of Directors. Their leadership today and 50 years from now will be distinctly driven by Catholic morals and values. We invest our assets through Catholic socially responsible investing and connect generous families with faithful organizations important to them.
Contact a member of our team today to learn how you can leave a legacy to serve the Catholic causes you love most. Click here to get started.
Your legacy is a key part of our mission. To learn more the impact of a legacy and how the Catholic Foundation can partner with you, take a look at our 2024 Annual Report.