Endowments

You can establish your fund during your lifetime or through your estate plan. It takes just $10,000 to start an endowment with PCF (or $5,000 for two years).

Pasadena Community Foundation holds a range of endowed funds to support long-term community impact. These include:

• Agency funds – created by nonprofits to support their own missions,
• Committee-advised funds — a committee, often appointed by donors or partners, reviews grant applications and makes funding recommendations, and
• Designated funds — benefit specific organizations or programs,
• Donor-advised funds — donors recommend grants to charitable causes of their choice, and
• Discretionary funds — donors entrust PCF’s Board to direct grants based on community needs. These include:
  • Field of Interest funds, which support grantmaking within a specific area chosen by the donor, such as education, the arts, healthcare, or the environment.
  • Unrestricted funds, which provide the greatest flexibility, allowing the Foundation to respond to the community’s evolving needs and priorities over time.
• Scholarship funds — provide educational support to students, from early childhood to postgraduate studies.

The common goal for endowment funds is that they are with the Foundation in perpetuity so that their earnings can support the greater Pasadena area forever.

PCF Endowment Builders are visionary donors who create “forever gifts” to support the Greater Pasadena community—today and for generations to come. By establishing a discretionary endowed fund, they empower flexible, local grantmaking that meets urgent needs and fuels long-term impact.

Endowment Builders are the foundation of PCF’s ability to respond with strength and agility to our community’s most pressing needs. Their foresight and generosity power flexible grantmaking—making it possible for PCF to launch targeted programs like COVID-19 relief and the Food Security Grant Program when urgency demands it.

In 2024 alone, Endowment Builders helped generate $2.5 million in grant support, including:

• Funding for 100+ local nonprofits
• Scholarships for over 150 students
• $600,000+ in Capital Grants to 25 nonprofit organizations
• $125,000 in grants to combat local food insecurity

When establishing your Endowment Builder fund, you will be asked to name it. You can choose to name it after yourself or your family, memorialize a loved one who has passed, mark an important milestone, or create an endowment to “pay it forward.”

A named endowment signals commitment, legacy, and lasting impact within a community. It reflects a donor’s dedication to a specific cause or organization, ensuring long-term financial stability for initiatives that matter to them. Named endowments also inspire others to give, fostering a culture of philanthropy and reinforcing the idea that community support can endure for generations.

• Donors who open an Endowment Builder fund that is a “restricted discretionary fund” means you would like to specify your support for PCF’s grantmaking in one or more of our six Impact Areas or create your own.
• Opening an Endowment Builder fund that is an “unrestricted discretionary fund” means you would like to give PCF more flexibility in our local grantmaking and target the greatest needs in our community as they arise.

Yes, because we are a 501c3 charitable organization, your gift is tax deductible.