Client Services
As your philanthropic partner, we help you shape your giving strategy and acquaint you with the nonprofit organizations working to build stronger, more vibrant communities. We offer you a platform to learn, share and create change.
With a variety of giving options, you can achieve multiple charitable objectives through a fund at Lakeshore Community Foundation. The best option for you depends on your financial situation, what you want to achieve, and how you choose to accomplish your objectives. Our staff will work with you and your professional advisor to discuss giving options and come up with the best plan for your situation. For more information about our giving options, visit Fund Types.
Our giving options are an efficient and cost effective way for you to create a personal legacy. Since we manage endowment funds that benefit our communities forever, we make sure your fund will support your charitable wishes in perpetuity.
We can help you identify the nonprofit organizations that are making a difference in our communities and the areas where you can make the greatest impact. We can research a topic or nonprofit organization in which you are interested and help you evaluate specific programs.
We provide professional investment management which enables you to make the most of your philanthropy. We invest funds with a focus on diversification to help control risk, while achieving long term growth to offset inflation, and allow for current and long term support of your charitable interests.
We conduct due diligence on all grantees by verifying each grantee’s tax-exempt status and charitable mission. We complete all necessary paperwork for grant administration and monitor your grant dollars to ensure they are used in an optimal manner.
You receive fund statements which include your fund’s beginning and ending balances, contributions, investment activity, and disbursements including grants and fees. Since we manage the accounting, investing, granting, and record keeping for your fund, we relieve you of all administrative tasks and tax reporting. Each year we engage an independent auditor to perform an audit of the Foundation which includes each client fund.
Recommending a grant is simple. You submit your grant recommendation to the Foundation. After we complete the due diligence and receive approval from our Board of Directors, in accordance with Treasury requirements, we send a check to the grantee. The letter accompanying the grant can state it is from your fund, but we will ensure confidentiality if you wish to remain anonymous.