What WE Do
ABOUT
Greater White Bear Lake
Community Foundation
The Greater White Bear Lake Community Foundation (GWBLCF) works to provide opportunities for people to individually and collectively make a difference, both today and tomorrow. By setting up funds with the foundation, people are able to make grants to support their favorite charitable causes and to respond to specific and time-sensitive community needs. Donors can also participate and benefit from the foundation’s role in bringing people together to explore common concerns and issues impacting our area.
We also facilitate involvement in a vast array of programs and organizations in our community. Whether it’s the art center, the food shelf, the historical society, the YMCA, the choral society, the parks, private and public schools or universities, programs for homeless teens, or for people new to our country and community–we want to play an active role in sustaining these resources for generations to come. It’s why we work hard to provide grants and to help nonprofit organizations create endowment funds which offer them professional investment advice, the advantage of being part of a large investment portfolio, and access to a broad base of other donors in the community.
Our Funds
The Greater White Bear Lake Community Foundation offers a variety of funds to meet the interests of donors. Establishing a fund with the Foundation is a quick, easy, and effective way to invest in the future of your community and carry out your philanthropic goals. There are many flexible fund options to choose from. Your fund may be endowed or non-endowed.
To learn more about any of these funds, contact info@gwblcf.org.
Review our Donor Services below to learn more.
Community Partners Fund
Looking to help support general community needs? A gift to our Community Partners Fund is one of the most flexible ways to give since it allows the foundation to identify and support local organizations that are addressing important community needs and that enrich our quality of life.
Field-of-Interest Fund
Are you passionate about the local art scene, human services or the environment? Spread your giving around a broad charitable purpose or pinpoint it to a specific geographic area to create a legacy for the causes and communities that matter to you.
Donor Advised Fund
This fund offers many of the advantages of a private foundation but with greater tax benefit, fewer restrictions and minimal administrative headaches. You can participate directly in the grantmaking process by recommending annual grants to causes you care about.
Nonprofit Endowment Fund
Non-profit endowments work by channeling charitable gifts into a single investment fund that builds over time. A non-profit organization’s endowment will generate earnings that contribute annual income—today and for years to come.
Designated Fund
Designated funds allow you to provide continued or one-time support to one or more specifically named non-profit organizations. The process is simple: You choose the organizations, and over time, we issue grants made in your name.
Foundation Builders Fund
You may wish to contribute to our operating fund which recognizes your support for the growth of the community foundation. Your donation helps us grow and supports our work of inspiring philanthropy and responding to community needs, not just today but tomorrow, next year, and 10-50 years from now.
Tributes
Any of the above funds can be used to honor the memory of a loved one or to honor an individual on a special occasion.
GIVE to a fund, or CREATE a fund
Donor Services
The Greater White Bear Lake Community Foundation will work with you to discuss your goals and help explore the best giving vehicle for your situation. We are available to consult and help define both your short-term and long-term philanthropic goals and to talk with you about new opportunities to have the greatest impact. To learn more, contact info@gwblcf.org.
Ways to Give
There are many gift and fund type options available to you as you consider your personal philanthropy and your legacy. Each individual, family or organization has distinct charitable interests—and unique financial circumstances. We help you make the most of both, so you receive the greatest return on your community investment.
The Foundation accepts many different types of gifts that help you fulfill your dreams and receive the best tax advantages. We always encourage you to discuss these ideas with your attorney, accountant, or other professional advisor, as the information below is not intended as legal advice.
Cash
Cash, usually in the form of a check, is an easy and convenient way for you to support worthy causes in the community. Gifts of cash enable you as a donor to claim a tax deduction of up to 50% of your adjusted gross income in any one year, with the excess, if any, carried forward for an additional five years.
Securities
The Foundation can accept the gift of a residence, commercial building, and undeveloped land. A gift of real estate that you have owned for more than a year entitles you to the same federal tax advantages as those for gifts of securities – a tax deduction for the fair market value of the property – while allowing you to avoid paying capital gains tax. Lifetime Residence is also an option. You can bequeath your home to the Foundation and remain in your home until your passing.
Bequests
Naming the Foundation in your will or living trust is a popular way to support the community. A charitable bequest can be a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or what remains after other bequests – including those to family members – are made. Or, your will can specify that your heirs receive lifetime income from your estate, with the remainder going to the Foundation for charitable purposes through a specific type of trust.
Life Insurance
A life insurance policy can be a convenient and effective way of meeting your charitable goals. When you transfer ownership of a cash value policy to the Foundation, you become eligible for a charitable tax deduction based the policy’s current value. You can also make the Foundation a beneficiary in your life insurance.
Real Estate
The Foundation can accept the gift of a residence, commercial building, and undeveloped land. A gift of real estate that you have owned for more than a year entitles you to the same federal tax advantages as those for gifts of securities – a tax deduction for the fair market value of the property – while allowing you to avoid paying capital gains tax. Lifetime Residence is also an option. You can bequeath your home to the Foundation and remain in your home until your passing.
Charitable Gift Annuity
The Foundation can take your gift of cash or property now and provide you or a loved one with fixed income payments for life. You receive immediate tax benefits for the donation of cash or property.
Retirement Plan Assets
For a gift through your estate, retirement plan assets are often an effective charitable gift because they are so heavily taxed if left to heirs. By naming the Foundation as the remainder beneficiary of these assets, you can leave a very tax efficient legacy. Examples include 401(k), 403(b), and individual retirement accounts.
Private Foundation Conversion
Families with small private foundations may want to seek alternatives to the administrative or cost burden of a private foundation. It is simple to convert to a fund with the same name and goals with the Greater White Bear Lake Community Foundation.
Foundation Services Fee Schedule
A Foundation Service fee is assessed on all donor advised, donor designated, and agency endowed funds we manage to support our operating expenses. All fees are based on the market value of the fund at the end of the prior quarter, calculated, assessed, and deducted from each fund quarterly. Foundation Services fees support:
- Initial and ongoing staff consultation with donors
- individual fund accounting and fund statement preparation
- oversight of investment management
- receiving, processing, and acknowledging donations
- receiving and processing grant recommendations, and following up with grantees
- compliance with federal and state reporting requirements
- completing annual audits
In addition, Foundation Services fees support the good work that the Foundation does in the community – listening and responding to community needs, creating future leaders, and enabling individuals and families to make a lasting difference in ways that inspire them.
Investment Strategy
The Greater White Bear Lake Community Foundation has the sole responsibility and authority for investment of the assets of each of the Foundation’s funds. An Investment Committee is appointed by the Foundation’s Board of Directors and consists of individuals who live in our local community and who are knowledgeable about investments and investment practices. The Committee is guided by the Foundation’s Investment Policy and is responsible for effectively and prudently managing, monitoring, and evaluating the Foundation’s investment portfolios.
The Foundation offers a variety of investment options designed to meet a range of philanthropic goals and time horizons. Each of the investment portfolios is carefully constructed and diversified across equity, fixed income, and alternative investment opportunities to offer acceptable levels of expected return relative to the level of risk taken. Investments are monitored regularly by the Foundation’s Investment Committee that meets quarterly to review portfolio performance.
Grantmaking
The Community Partners Fund was established by the Greater White Bear Lake Community Foundation to provide grant support for programs and projects that respond to community needs and that align with our mission to inspire philanthropy and to enrich the lives of people in the communities that share the shores of White Bear Lake—Birchwood Village, Dellwood, Grant, Mahtomedi, White Bear Lake, White Bear Township, and Willernie.
This Fund is a vital way the Foundation learns about worthy programs and urgent needs in our community. The funds available for this competitive grant process are contributed by individuals in the greater White Bear Lake community who believe that their gifts, when combined with the talent and hard work of others, can have a significant impact on the health and vitality of our area.
From 2017-2021, the Foundation has awarded over $209,000 in grants to over 50 local community organizations to support many new and ongoing projects and programs. The Foundation encourages community residents who would like to join with the Foundation in supporting local organizations to contribute to our Community Partners Fund. Donations may be made to the Community Partners Fund here.
For more information, contact info@gwblcf.org or call (651) 408-5412.
Leadership Tomorrow
LEADERSHIP TOMORROW prepares, engages, and challenges current and emerging leaders through a 10-month long program combining leadership skills and community awareness. Participants connect deeply with each other, develop practical leadership skills, explore community leadership roles, learn about the needs, opportunities, and challenges facing our community, and meet and engage directly with leaders of the organizations working to address them. The outcome is increased leadership ability and passion and an increase in overall capacity to make our community the great place it is to live and work. Leadership Tomorrow is a community-based program preparing leaders to impact our community, become part of a team, and grow their leadership awareness and influence.
Become a part of a team, grow in leadership, and make a difference within our community.
