For Donors > Ways to Give

PVF offers various ways to assist donors in their charitable giving:

  • Donor Venture Funds
  • Unrestricted Gifts
  • Program Funds
  • PVF Endowment
  • Designated Funds

Donor Venture Funds

Based on your recommendation, PVF makes approved grants to specific charitable organizations from your Donor Venture Fund, also known as a donor advised fund. PVF can identify high impact programs, evaluate potential grant recipients, and advise on giving goals and strategies. The Donor Venture Fund is a good alternative to creating a private foundation in that it provides all of the advantages of having one's own foundation, without the additional administrative and staffing costs, pay-out requirement, and tax return filing and excise tax requirements. It can also provide better tax advantages.  For more details, see: Donor Venture Funds.

Unrestricted Gifts

PVF staff spends a lot of time out in the community visiting nonprofits and meeting human service workers.  This grassroots knowledge coupled with our expertise in grantmaking, program and evaluation, provides us with a keen ability to respond to community needs.  Gifts to PVF's Unrestricted Gifts Fund enable us to make grants on a discretionary and timely basis. 

Program Funds

PVF designs and administers giving programs to match a donor's area of interest. No matter what your focus, PVF can create a program that targets this interest. For example, PVF designed the Teacher Resource Grants Program for a private foundation committed to improving public education in the San Francisco Bay Area.  In addition, PVF has created several programs on its own initiative in response to pressing issues and needs.  If you are interested in learning more about Our Programs, whether to replicate them in your own community, or to provide financial support for our existing programs, contact us.

PVF Endowment

PVF takes a unique approach to philanthropy.  We serve as a demonstration foundation, taking risks, trying new approaches to meet community needs.  We share our successes, and failures, with others to encourage new approaches.  If you would like to make a gift to PVF's Endowment Fund to support our approach and our community work in perpetuity, contact us.

Designated Funds

In the spirit of expanding philanthropy and promoting outstanding charitable work, PVF serves as the depository for projects that do not yet have their tax-exempt status but are otherwise ready to commence their charitable work.  Through PVF’s Designated Funds service, donors can contribute to a charitable project, and receive a tax deduction for their contributions. PVF manages each Designated Fund and prepares financial reports for the project leader. Designated Funds may focus on local, national, or international giving.  A Designated Fund provides donors with flexibility, enabling them to target support for innovative ideas. For more details, see: Designated Funds.

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