Create a named Fund
Establishing a Named Endowment Fund with Acorn is an easy way to create an enduring legacy in the region you call home. The Acorn team will walk you through the process to ensure that your giving objectives are met. We’ll help you choose how and when you donate, and who your fund supports.
Next steps?
We’d love to chat with you about how we can help you give back to our community. Book a time to meet with Campbell Higgins, Acorn's Legacy Giving Manager.
How does an Endowment Fund Work?
1. Donor chooses
to leave a gift in their Will or to give now. Some donors choose both options in order to enjoy seeing the impact of their Living Giving — it is entirely up to you.
Donor selects charities to support or decides to leave their fund to an area of interest or unrestricted. You can change your distributions in the future without having to change your Will.
2. Donor's Fund is established
and a simple clause has been added to your Will (or Memorandum of Wishes for a family trust) that will come into effect after death, or when you begin Living Giving.
Donations are pooled and invested in perpetuity. Craigs Investment Partners manage the Fund, with oversight from Acorn’s Investment Committee.
3. Fund becomes active
once it reaches the Acorn threshold. The threshold for distributions is $50,000 if you have opted to select charities to support, while the threshold is $25,000 if the fund is unrestricted.
Fund distributes using Investment returns. Distributions are made each year, either to the donor’s specified charities or based on Acorn’s Distributions Committee if the funds are unrestricted.
Smarter Giving Model
We believe our Smarter Giving Model provides a better and more lasting way for you to give back to causes you care about in our region. Put simply, our model means that a single gift from a generous donor will continue to grow and give back to causes close to their heart, year after year. Community Foundations of Aotearoa NZ has created the CFANZ Fund Calculator – so you can see for yourself how your fund will grow over time.
Learn how the Smarter Giving Model works in this short animated video.