Creating a Memorial Fund at the Thomas County Community Foundation
Why Choose a Memorial Donation?
A memorial fund allows you to spend time thinking of the most appropriate way to honor the memory of your loved one.
You can make multiple grants (a word we like to use for a monetary contribution) from your memorial fund as you see fit. The Thomas County Community Foundation already houses fund accounts that benefit most of the nonprofit organizations, schools, civic groups, major events, and churches in the county. So by establishing one memorial fund at TCCF, you can easily make multiple grant contributions in one easy step. You decide how the funds should be divided, and we do all the work. Click here to see the list of funds already established at TCCF. If you don't see your favorite charity listed, don't worry. You can give a grant from your memorial fund to any qualifying charitable organization recognized by the Internal Revenue Service you want-- it's just a little bit more paperwork for us.
How to Establish a Memorial Fund
Decide what to name your fund. Examples include, but are not limited to, "The Edward Smith Memorial Fund," or the "Jones Family Fund," or the "Smith Legacy Fund for Education."
Select a family representative who will decide how donations to the fund should be distributed.
Contact the Thomas County Community Foundation.
Friends and family of your loved one will want to know where they can send memorial donations. The best way to share this information is in your loved one's obituary. Place the name of the memorial fund in the obituary using wording such as, "Memorial contributions may be made payable to the Smith Legacy Fund for Education located at the Thomas County Community Foundation. Please mail to TCCF, 350 South Range, Suite 14, Colby, Kansas 67701."
Many families ask that donations be made to a specific charitable organization with a loved one passes away. By establishing a Memorial Fund through the Thomas County Community Foundation, you do not have to decide where the donations should go right away. you can take the time you need to think about your loved one's passions and interests.
A memorial fund is a charitable account that is set up at the Foundation to accept donations in memory of a loved one. You can use the money that accumulates in the fund to make grants to local charities and organizations that your loved one cared about. When you are ready to make a decision, you get the opportunity to decide which charities and causes your loved one's memorial donations get to benefit.
