What are they?
A donor-advised fund is a popular, flexible, and easy way to support the organizations, causes, and groups and issues that you care about, now and in the future. As a donor, you make gifts to your fund at any time—taking a tax deduction for the year in which a gift is made—and then recommend that grants be made from the fund at any time to groups you identify. A donor-advised fund may be created by an individual, family, group, business, or organization.

Highlights:

• Donor-advised funds may be named to recognize the donor(s), a family member, friend, or organization. Or, you can select a name for the  fund that will ensure your anonymity.
  
  
• MCF can accept donations of almost any asset, including stock and real property.  
  
  
• You can choose your own investment strategy from among the investment pools offered by MCF. 
  
  
• You can recommend grants online in just a few minutes.
  
  
• MCF staff is available to help you learn more about groups that meet your needs.
  
  
• Through donor-advised funds, you can engage family members in learning more about their community and groups addressing community  issues.
  
  
• The fund may be established as an endowment (ensuring that grants are made in perpetuity) or as an expendable fund (which enables you to  make grants of any size at any time).