Your generosity both makes a difference today and creates a ripple that touches every tomorrow. Endowments at BCCF are built to keep giving back to Battle Creek, year after year.
Why Endowments Matter
Built for Impact
Always Growing
The principal isn’t spent, so your fund can grow and adapt with community needs.
Community‑Focused
The 25‑Year Story of One Gift
Imagine a $100,000 endowed fund with a 4% annual payout:
- Years 1–25: Over $100,000 granted back to the community.
- Year 25: The fund is still worth at least the original $100,000.
- Beyond Year 25: The cycle continues – your impact multiplies far into the future.
The Power of One Gift
Every endowed dollar is really two gifts:
- A gift today that begins making a difference immediately.
- A gift tomorrow that adapts and grows for generations to come.
That’s the promise of endowment – your generosity at work forever.
Types of Funds You Can Establish
Provide the greatest flexibility for BCCF to respond to the community’s most pressing and changing needs. Gifts may support the Fund for Battle Creek or similar unrestricted community impact funds.
Donor‑Advised Funds (DAFs)
Designated Funds
Field of Interest Funds
Focus your giving on an area of community life, such as education, health, youth, arts, or livable communities, while relying on BCCF to identify effective programs within that field.
Support students by setting criteria that match your interests, whether by school, field of study, financial need, or background. BCCF manages outreach, application, and selection.
Organizational (Agency) Endowments
Legacy / Planned Gifts
More About Funds
General Information Regarding Endowed Funds
There are now more than 1,000 separate funds managed by the Battle Creek Community Foundation. As stewards of these funds, we convert contributions into community betterment. Our investment strategy is designed to maintain the principal balance—the gifts and contributions received from the public—while maximizing long‑term returns for grantmaking and future growth.
In this manner, endowment gifts become expressions of caring that keep on giving forever.
Endowed Fund Minimums
Fund minimums are set to ensure sustainability and meaningful annual impact through our spending policy. If you’re considering establishing a new endowed fund, we’ll work with you to select the fund type that fits your goals and timeline for reaching the minimum. Please contact us for current minimums and options for building a fund over time.
Spending Policy
BCCF’s endowments are built for both today’s impact and tomorrow’s security. Our current payout target is 4% annually, which supports consistent grantmaking while allowing the fund to grow for future needs. Many funds also use a smoothing approach, balancing market ups and downs to provide steady distributions.
Example: Over 25 years, a $100,000 endowed fund can grant out $100,000+ in total while continuing to work for the community.
Administrative Fees
Administrative and investment fees support the stewardship of your fund: due diligence, grant processing, accounting, investment oversight, and donor services. Fee schedules vary by fund type and are designed to be fair, transparent, and competitive. Detailed fee information is available upon request.
Investment of Funds
All endowment funds are pooled for investment purposes in a carefully diversified portfolio. We conduct consistent and complete reviews of investment management and allocation as part of our commitment to public trust stewardship.
The names of investment managers, fees charged (including investment and administrative fees), and the governing body or appointees responsible for investment oversight are available upon request.