Open or Give to a Discretionary Fund

The Fairfield County Endowment Fund is a discretionary fund with the flexibility to meet the changing needs of our community. Among the grants awarded in FY10 from the fund was a $200,000 grant to the Fairfield County Collaborative Fund for Affordable Housing. The Stamford-Norwalk region has the highest housing costs in the country. The Collaborative fund tackles this issue head-on by funding the development of new, affordable housing. Since 2006, more than 700 new, affordable units have been built, including the apartment shared by Ana Rodriguez and her daughter Genesis of Stamford.

Discretionary funds are ideal for forward-thinking donors who recognize the needs of Fairfield County will change over time.

These funds allow the Foundation to respond to urgent, emergency needs in the community and create and sustain vital communities. They also allow for strategic multi-year grants which identify the current and future needs of the community and provide the funding necessary for a coordinated campaign to address the root causes of those needs.

A planned gift or bequest is an ideal way to support a discretionary fund and leave a lasting legacy.

Gifts to discretionary funds benefit from the Foundation's financial stewardship and are overseen by our Board to ensure the most is made of every dollar, now and in the future.

You can make a gift of any size to an existing discretionary fund, or establish and name a new discretionary fund with a gift of $100,000 or more.

View a list of current discretionary funds.

Discretionary Funds at Work

When a tornado struck downtown Bridgeport in the summer of 2010, thousands were left without food, shelter and power. Within hours, a grant of $20,000 from a Foundation discretionary fund provided the local American Red Cross chapter with immediate access to the cash it needed to purchase critical supplies.

For the past six years, another discretionary fund, the Fairfield County Endowment Fund, has provided an annual grant of $200,000 to help build affordable housing, one of Fairfield County's greatest needs. The funding led to the creation of the Fairfield Collaborative Fund for Affordable Housing, a strategic partnership which has created 700 new affordable units, refurbished another 1,000 units and begun construction and planning for 700 more units.

More than 6,000 area residents have safe, affordable homes thanks to this long-term commitment.

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