Your Giving

We are here to simplify your giving to the causes you care about. Whether considering ways to maximize your giving today, involving your family in charitable conversations or planning how to leave a legacy for generations to come – we are here to create a personalized giving plan for you. The Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines offers convenient, customized giving solutions that enable you to give back in the ways that meet your unique goals. We are better together.

What is a charitable giving fund?

A Community Foundation charitable giving fund is customized with your giving goals and charitable interests in mind. It provides a simple way for you to support the causes and organizations you care about locally and across the country. You can use cash, stock or other assets to create a named fund, qualify for an immediate tax deduction, and when it’s convenient for you, choose the charities you want to support. Plus, by establishing your charitable giving fund with the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines your gift may be eligible for the Endow Iowa Tax Credit, a 25% state tax credit available for qualified gifts.

 Giving Made Simple

1. Connect with us.

Our charitable giving team is here to help you establish a charitable giving fund with a current or planned gift. There is no minimum amount required to open a charitable giving fund and we work with you to establish the right fund to meet your giving goals. Likewise, we accept a variety of gifts including appreciated securities, real estate, business interests, personal tangible property, retirement plans, life insurance agricultural assets and more to make sure that you are maximizing your giving in tax-wise ways. 
Community Foundation Advantage: You qualify for an immediate tax deduction when you open your fund and may be eligible for the Endow Iowa Tax Credit.

2. Grow Your Fund

You choose which of the Community Foundation’s professionally managed, world-class investment portfolios you would like to allocate your charitable giving fund to and then seek to grow your charitable assets, tax-free to you. If you would prefer, you can take advantage of our Charitable Investment Partners program and have your charitable giving fund invested by your trusted financial advisor. Either way, you can make additional contributions to your fund at any time.
Community Foundation Advantage: Simplify tax time. Rather than remembering all the organizations you supported over the course of the year, you’ll have immediate access to a comprehensive record of the contributions you made to your charitable giving fund.

3. Recommend Grants

Make secure, online grant recommendations to the causes you care about from your charitable giving fund and we handle the administrative details. If would like to engage our team to help recommend a grant, you can call us at (515) 883-2626. Or complete this form and submit to us via email, mail to 1915 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50309 or fax to (515) 309-0704.

Community Foundation Advantage: Our team of charitable giving experts is only a phone call, email or personal meeting away to help you facilitate your giving or to learn more about needs in the community that might match your charitable interests.

4. Local Ties

Our team works hard to develop relationships with nonprofits in Greater Des Moines and serves as a well-connected community leader. We want to share this community expertise with you so you can make the most of your giving. We are here to keep you updated on exciting and unique local funding opportunities so you can be part of tidal wave change in our community.  Use GIVEdsm as an online tool to learn about the needs and opportunities of our community and offer support to those that match your interests. 
Community Foundation Advantage: Our staff is trained to help individuals, families and businesses navigate charitable conversations and develop approaches for strategic giving.

Connections that Count

With over 50 years of service to our community, we are connecting and investing in pressing needs and promising opportunities. And we are committed to sharing this expertise with you. Whether taking advantage of our online resource, GIVEdsm, to learn about and support local nonprofits, or joining us at one of our events to learn from local leaders on priority projects for our community, we know that our community is strengthened by our collective work. We are simply better together.

Charitable Giving Today and for Generations to Come

Your charitable giving is more than a gift, it tells your story. It highlights the causes that have made a difference in your life, the organizations you have worked alongside and the communities that you love. At the Community Foundation, it is our privilege to assist you in writing your giving story. Whether establishing a charitable giving fund to invest in the needs of today, providing tools to pass on the gift of giving to future generations of your family or working alongside our team to ensure that your legacy will continue as you intend beyond your lifetime, we are here for you.