DONOR DESIGNATED GRANTS

What are Donor Designated Grants?

Donor designated grants are those guided by the wishes of our donors. They are made from Donor Advised Funds and endowments established by individuals and families who want to have a voice in how gifts are managed and distributed while reaping tax benefits often associated with charitable giving.

Donor Advised Funds can be set up as endowments, allowing for only interest to be distributed, or as pass-through funds utilizing both principal and interest. Endowments can be designated by the donor to benefit a specific United Methodist cause, or the supporting decision can be deferred to the Grants Committee of the Texas Methodist Foundation.

Donors and Ministries

"When it comes to our donors, what I think of most often is the tremendous vision they had when they set up an endowment fund. But then, perhaps they weren't thinking along those lines at all. Maybe the need to give is a response to what God has done in their lives and that basic desire to acknowledge what the Church has meant to them throughout a lifetime. Maybe they wanted to share those intense feelings with others."

Candy Gross, vice president of investment services and grants, did not work one-on-one with all the donors she admires, but she does witness the incredible impact of their generosity as she visits grant recipients throughout the state. She sees first hand the difference those donations are making in the lives of children who might otherwise have had no hope. When the Bowers brothers, Robert and Maxey, established an endowment fund through the Texas Methodist Foundation years ago, they secured a vision of stewardship for years to come.

Because the Bowers designated three churches that had meaning in their lives, these congregations each receive yearly unencumbered gifts to help with special programs and ongoing needs. A porttion of the income from the Bowers Fund is awared to United Methodist ministries through the Foundation's Grants Ministry.

Read about a few of the ways the Bowers endowment fund has assisted United Methodists in Texas:

First United Methodist Church Breckenridge

First United Methodist Church Houston

First United Methodist Church Round Rock

Whispers of Hope Horse Farm  

Gift Planning

Compassionate United Methodists realize it takes a long-term monetary commitment to fund mission projects, conduct outreach ministries, and keep charitable organizations alive so they can continue to do good work where they are needed most. Donors from all walks of life make gifts that enable the Grants Ministry to distribute funds on their behalf.

Helping a vital outreach program within your local church, in your community, or in a nearby community can be as simple as contacting the Foundation. We can supply valuable resources and assistance to inform you about the benefits of gift planning, and we can also administer your gift.

Contact Darrell Loyless at dloyless@tmf-fdn.org or 800/933-5502 to learn more about supporting our Grants Ministry through Donor Advised Funds and endowments.