By Sarah Hanley • Posted August 12, 2021

We often say that the Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia (CFGP) is your resource for Catholic philanthropy. Traditionally, a community foundation works to provide grants to organizations in need – while CFGP does this, our unique services extend far beyond this one area.

Our focus areas can be broken down into three categories, each of which are made unique by our organization’s model. Let’s take a closer look at each category to better understand what makes us different.

Grantmaking

Community foundations are typically concentrated on supporting organizations in a specific region. They do this by fundraising, managing donor gifts and distributing grants to the eligible organizations. As a community foundation, CFGP has the same goal, except our grantmaking procedure allows for the maximization of grants awarded. This is because of our several different avenues for giving.

With so many giving options for our donors, there are multiple ways for organizations to receive grants from CFGP and in turn receive the maximum benefit for their mission to grow and thrive. These giving options are available through our investment management capabilities.

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Investment management

Our investment management services operate in the same way as investment accounts at any other major company. We offer charitable funds including donor-advised, program and endowment funds. We also help manage planned giving vehicles like IRAs, 401(K)s and gifts through wills and estates.

For our charitable funds, we charge a competitive fee of 1.25%, and it includes so much more than what a fee at another institution provides. As standard practice, our team manages all of the investment, audit and distribution work of your account.

Additionally, your investment with CFGP includes:

* Catholic values screening — Our investment management team participates in responsible investing, screening all potential grantee organizations according to guidelines set forth by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

* Marketing capabilities and support — Our marketing team will promote your fund to current CFGP donors and friends, garnering additional support to help your fund grow.

* Administrative support — CFGP does not charge a fee per fund distribution, making it easy and cost-effective for you to support the causes you care about. Additionally, we offer an extremely low minimum distribution amount of $250.

* Ministry connections — The core of our mission is to grow the ministries of the church in Philadelphia. Our team will provide you with invaluable insight into the ministries in our area in need of support, connect you to them and foster a relationship to help them grow.

Nonprofit consulting

Perhaps our most unique service is our nonprofit consulting. These fundraising and development consulting services provide a team of development professionals who will create a customized approach to fundraising that fits within the mission of the organization we’re working with.

Our team specializes in annual appeals, stewardship programs, feasibility studies, capital campaigns, planned giving, and more. Just like with our other major service categories, our development consulting services offer more than what a standard consulting firm would. When you work with us, you also receive:

* Competitive rates — Costs for our services are well below for-profit company prices.

* Expertise in Catholic giving and stewardship — It’s our job to know the Catholic giving landscape and how it impacts the world around us.

* Dedicated team members — CFGP clients are guaranteed members of our team who are exclusively committed to their mission.

* Partnership — When an organization chooses to work with us, their success is of the utmost importance. We keep lines of communication open, and we don’t focus on billable hours. Our focus is that organization and giving them the peace of mind to do what they do best.

With our special grantmaking abilities, unique investment management benefits and low-cost approach to fundraising and development, CFGP is the most complete resource for Catholic philanthropy. We’re here to help both individuals, ministries, and organizations fulfill their charitable goals. To learn more about CFGP and our mission, visit www.TheCFGP.org.

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Sarah Hanley is the president and CEO of the Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia. To learn more, visit TheCFGP.org or call 215-587-5650.