Welcome, Donors
Established in 1987, the Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF) invests the charitable capital entrusted to us by generous donors concerned for the wellbeing of all in Ventura County. We are here to provide you with knowledge of community issues, resources to impact social change and strategies to support your values, hopes, and vision for a greater world. Opportunities abound, your gifts to our local community today are for tomorrow, tributes to Ventura Community generations to come.
Is VCCF a Nonprofit?
YES! Therefore any donation to VCCF or a VCCF fund is a charitable donation under the Tax ID 77-0165029.
How much does it cost to get started?
We specialize in helping you give strategically and there is no cost for this planning period.
Once you create your fund, however, there will be a quarterly administrative fee that depends on the type of fund you create.
For example, scholarship funds have a 1.5% quarterly fee that is charged on the individual fund balance. Non-scholarship funds, such as a Donor Advised Fund or Nonprofit Agency Fund, have a typical fee of 1.24% quarterly assessed on the balance. There are a few other fund types that have unique fee structures due to the time duration of the fund, such as a Pass Through Fund, or possible reduction in fee based on the size of your fund.
To learn more please contact Jim Rivera, Chief Philanthropic Counsel, at jrivera@vccf.org or 805-330-6679.
What Asset Types Can I Give?
We are authorized to accept gifts of all kinds. While the most common types of gifts include cash, appreciated property, and publicly traded stock, we can also accept most other assets.
Please contact Jim Rivera, Chief Philanthropic Counsel, at jrivera@vccf.org or 805-330-6679 to learn more about available giving options.
If you are like many professional advisors, you may have hesitated to raise the subject of philanthropy with your client. Research shows, however, that people are eager to learn more about charitable giving. According to an article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, most people report they would like their advisors to be more knowledgeable about planned giving, and more forthcoming with their suggestions about types of gifts to make. In other words, if you make an effort to become better informed about the pivotal role philanthropy can play in estate planning, your clients will thank you.
The Ventura County Community Foundation is a single, trusted vehicle you and your clients may use to address issues that matter to them, while gaining maximum tax benefit under state and federal law. We offer a variety of giving options — including the ability to set up a Donor Advised Fund in your client’s name. Significant giving opportunities often arise when clients are making major business, personal and financial decisions. Our staff can work with you and your client to recommend the best charitable solution. Consider the following scenarios:
Year-end tax planning
Your client just earned a bonus and wants to give back to the community, and has limited time to decide on the most deserving charities.
Preserving an estate
Estate planning identifies significant taxes going to the IRS, and your client wants to direct dollars for local benefit.
Retiring in comfort
Your client is concerned about running out of money during his/her lifetime, and has always been charitable.
Establishing a private foundation
Your client is thinking about establishing a private foundation, and is looking for a more cost-efficient, simpler way.
Closely held stock
Your client’s net worth is tied up in a closely held company, and it’s important for your client to give back to the community.
Sale or disposition of highly appreciated stock or property
Your client has appreciated stock or property and wants to use a portion of the gains for charitable giving; the identified charities are too small to accept direct gifts of stock or property. You can meet all of these giving challenges by working with the Community Foundation to create a donor advised fund, a planned gift or life income gift. We accept a number of giving vehicles including closely held and highly appreciated stock. Your clients will receive the maximum tax benefit, confident that their charitable goals will be faithfully pursued.
Ways to Give Tribute
Tribute gifts are meaningful ways to make gifts with lasting impact and meaning. Honor and remember the special people in your life on a birthday, anniversary, for a special occasion, milestone or achievement, to say thank you, or during a time of loss with a tribute or memorial gift to the Ventura County Community Foundation. If you desire, your gift can be designated to any of our 500+ funds, representing the strength and commitment to the community we love.
* Please contact Jim Rivera, Chief Philanthropic Counsel, at jrivera@vccf.org or 805-330-6679.
Thank you for remembering a friend or loved one through supporting VCCF in its mission to promote and enable philanthropy to improve our community!
Loretta and Mike Merewether are active philanthropists in Ventura County. The Merewether Community Fund at VCCF supports nonprofit organizations working to build affordable housing. Here they are pictured at the Courtyard at Harvard, in Santa Paula, where the Community Room was named for them. This project was developed through The Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation (CEDC).
To start your own fund now please contact Jim Rivera, Chief Philanthropic Counsel, at jrivera@vccf.org or 805-330-6679.
The Benefits of establishing a fund with VCCF are plentiful
- Simplicity
Creating a charitable fund is an easy, low-cost alternative to forming and administering a private foundation, and requires minimal paperwork. We manage investments, process fund distributions and file appropriate tax returns.
- Tax Benefits
We can offer maximum federal and state tax benefits. Receive an immediate tax deduction the year the gift is made without having to rush into decisions regarding the ultimate timing or beneficiary of your gifts
- Flexibility
We can accept a wide variety of gifts – including cash, stocks, real estate and other assets. We can help you create a fund that addresses virtually any charitable purpose. Receive public recognition or remain anonymous. You can make grants to a variety of organizations and add to any fund at any time.
- Professional Management
Enjoy the advantages of having your Fund be part of an actively managed, diversified investment portfolio with professional staff available to answer questions, identify community needs and screen grant requests.
- Community Impact
Donors can work with our professional program staff; we’ll help you understand community needs, assess local organizations and direct gift dollars to high-impact areas.
- Stability
Community Foundations are professional organizations that meet published standards of performance for investment practices, donor services, and grantmaking practices. Yearly auditing, public disclosure of all grant activities and careful selection of board members assure continued use of funds in the public interest as donors have determined.
- Perpetuity
Endowed funds will serve your charitable interests now and for generations to come because the principal of the fund is never spent. An endowed fund lasts forever – a permanent testament to your compassion and a lasting resource for your community.