Like funds held by all community foundations, those held by the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin are charged a minimal annual service fee.
In exchange for this fee, donors receive a variety of benefits:
- Professional investment management overseen by the CFSW Board of Directors.
- Our professional staff’s knowledge and expertise in grant-making. This includes knowledge of the community and its needs. This information is shared with our donor advised fund holders and others.
- Due diligence for grant awards assuring that the recipient is a certified 501(c) 3 organization.
Fees are charged quarterly and are based on each Fund’s average market value using the average of 12 trailing quarters. For example, consider a scholarship account that began with a balance of $10,000 three years (12 quarters) ago but with additions and investment returns is worth $30,000 today. The fee does not take into account the full growth of the fund but looks only at the fund’s average over three years. Let’s say that average is $20,000. At 1.5 percent, the annual fee for this scholarship would be $300. The quarterly withdrawal is $75.
Fee Schedule
| Fund Type | Endowed | Spendable |
|---|---|---|
| Community Funds | 1.00% | 1.00% |
| Designated/Org/Agency* | 1.00% | 1.25% |
| Field of Interest/EIE | 1.25% | 1.25% |
| Donor Advised* | 1.25% | 1.50% |
| Scholarship* | 1.50% | 1.50% |
| Special Project/Fundraising* | 5.00% of revenue received | |
| * Funds that exceed $500,000 will receive fee reductions as follows: $500,000 – $1 million .25%; $1 million – $2 million .25%; Above $2 million .25% | ||
Fees for Establishing a Fund
| Fund Type | Suggested Balance for Establishing a Fund |
|---|---|
| Donor Advised | $15,000 |
| Scholarship | $25,000 |
| Field of Interest | $10,000 |
| Community Fund | $50,000 |
| Agency Fund/Organization Fund/Nonexempt Fund/Named Community Fund | $10,000 |
| Spendable Fund | $1,000 minimum balance. |
