Where to Give
Whether you want to support a cause, honor a loved one, benefit a community or help students, we can make it simple for you to create or contribute to a fund that matches your vision.
Community Fund
A gift to our regional Community Fund helps Berkshire Taconic meet the changing needs of the tri-state region, now and in years to come. The Community Fund is our only unrestricted fund, serving as an important and flexible charitable resource for our communities.Area Funds
If you have strong ties to a town or community this way, you may want to contribute to one of our eleven Area Funds, which include all of the cities and towns we serve. Area Funds make a visible difference our communities, supporting programs and services in including the arts, educational enrichment, human services and environmental protection.Area Funds are permanently endowed funds that are dedicated to the constantly changing needs of the local communities they serve. Each has an advisory committee made up of local residents who understand the needs of the community. The committees oversee fundraising and award grants fairly and competitively based on stated criteria, with the guidance of Berkshire Taconic’s professional staff.
Map of Area Funds
More about the Area Funds and the towns they serve
Donor-Advised Funds
With a donor-advised fund, you can play an active role in grantmaking by recommending the charities you want to benefit from your funds. Berkshire Taconic helps you by verifying the charitable status and mission of the organizations and can also identify organizations that you may want to support.Donors can make a donation for an immediate charitable deduction and make distributions over several years. You receive an immediate charitable income tax deduction whenever you add assets to the fund.
You may make contributions to the fund and recommend grants whenever you wish, with Berkshire Taconic handling all investment and administrative details. Many of our donors contribute to their funds yearly.
Other family members can also be named as advisors, making this type of fund an attractive option for donors who wish children and other family members to carry on a tradition of family philanthropy. Many of our donors contribute to their funds yearly.
Minimum to open fund: $5,000
Field of Interest Funds
A field of interest fund allows you to direct your gift to an area of need or interest you care about, whether it’s fostering the arts, providing support to low-income families, preserving the environment or any other worthwhile cause.Depending on how you establish the fund, you may play a role in making grant recommendations, with Berkshire Taconic overseeing a competitive grantmaking process.
You receive an income tax deduction for your opening contribution and any subsequent donations. Additional gifts of any amount may be made whenever you wish.
Berkshire Taconic invests the funds, provides record-keeping services and, if requested, will work with you to establish the criteria and a committee to oversee a competitive grantmaking process.
Minimum gift to establish a field of interest fund: $10,000 non-endowed; $25,000 endowed
Designated Funds
Donors with strong ties to a particular organization or institution often establish a designated fund for its benefit. At the time you make your gift, you may specify one or more nonprofit organizations or scholarships to receive all or portion of the fund’s income. Berkshire Taconic will carry out your directions as long as the named organization is using the income to carry out its stated charitable purpose.Designated funds often provide much-needed income to schools, historic sites, houses of worship, arts groups, high school seniors, town activities, animal shelters and many other kinds of organizations and causes. Most donors endow their designated fund in perpetuity. Some establish a time limit, typically 20 years, after which the designated fund becomes unrestricted.
If the designated organization ceases to exist, loses its tax-exempt status or changes its mission, Berkshire Taconic can redirect support for a purpose as close as possible to what the donor intended.
Minimum balance: $25,000
Scholarship Funds
Donors interested in promoting education often establish scholarship funds. Scholarships may support any level of education and can benefit students attending a particular school, studying a particular field or living in a certain geographical area.Scholarship funds are endowed. You receive an income tax deduction when you open a fund and when you make additional gifts. Berkshire Taconic invests the funds, provides record-keeping services and can work with you to set up criteria and establish a committee to oversee a competitive award process.
Minimum to open fund: $25,000
Memorial Funds
Donors may wish to set up a memorial fund to remember and honor a loved one. Berkshire Taconic will help manage incoming contributions to the memorial fund, as well as help guide the gift to reflect the charitable wishes of the person in whose memory the fund was established.Memorial funds are endowed. You receive an income tax deduction when you open a fund and when you make additional gifts. Berkshire Taconic invests the funds, provides record-keeping services and can work with you to set up criteria and establish a committee to oversee a competitive award process.
Minimum to open fund: $25,000
Supporting Organizations
For some donors, creating a separate charitable organization affiliated with Berkshire Taconic is an attractive alternative to establishing a donor advised fund or a private foundation.A supporting organization is essentially a private foundation attached to a public charity or community foundation. The supporting organization is a 501(c)(3) charity that is classified as a public charity rather than a private foundation. Supporting organizations, which may be created by a family, group of donors, nonprofit, business or an existing private foundation, combine the autonomy of a private foundation with the more favorable tax treatment of a public foundation. Berkshire Taconic provides administrative services to the supporting organization. Contributions to supporting organizations earn maximum tax deductibility.
Minimum to establish a supporting organization: $1 million
Nonprofit Organizations
Nonprofit organizations can also establish a designated fund or agency endowment at Berkshire Taconic. This is a simple and efficient way to build an endowment - and help create sustainability - for your nonprofit organization. Berkshire Taconic handles investment management and the administrative responsibilities related to endowment, so that your organization's staff and volunteer hours are concentrated on fulfilling your mission.Your organization's regular donors can leave a bequest through Berkshire Taconic to benefit your organization forever and create a personal legacy. Berkshire Taconic can facilitate your donors’ planned gifts or gifts of appreciated stock or real estate.
Minimum to open fund: $5,000 nonendowed; $25,000 endowed