Your Fund

A community of givers

Our donors share a giving spirit and a deep desire to strategically improve the quality of life in our community through philanthropy. We provide the tools to guide donors on a simple and strategic path to giving.

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Your Funds

Your Donor Advised Fund is a charitable giving account that is a simple, flexible tool to grant to nonprofits, churches, or government entities.

The Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville thanks you for helping make our great community to become even better through your generosity. By giving through the Community Foundation, you join a growing network of givers who care about our local community and who want to create positive change in the area we call home.

Fundholder Information

Fundholder information and fund statements are available 24/7 on the password-protected DonorCentral portal. We hope that DonorCentral will provide you with easy access to the information you need to know about your fund and a convenient way to submit grant requests. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your statement, DonorCentral, or the Greater Horizons investment platform.

  • Getting Started

    To log in to DonorCentral, enter your user name and password that was provided by our Financial Coordinator. If you have trouble logging in, contact us at 256.489.3525 or giving@communityfoundationhsv.org.

    When you log in, you will see the DonorCentral home page. If you would like to make a grant to an organization you have previously supported, click “Grant History.” This will bring up a list of your past grants. Your most recent grants are at the top of the list. To sort alphabetically by organization name, click “Grantee” in the column heading. Find the desired organization and click “Make a Grant” to bring up a grant suggestion form.

    If you would like to make a grant to an organization you have not previously supported, click “Find a Nonprofit and Suggest a Grant.”

  • Identify Recipient

    Type the name of the organization you wish to support in the “Name” field. You can also search by location or program area. Click “Search.”

    Your search results will appear below the search fields and may return more than one result.

    If the organization you want to support does not show up on the first page, you can navigate the results using the arrow and numbers at the bottom. You can also click “Location” to sort alphabetically by city and state. Once you find your desired organization, click “Make a Grant.”

  • Grant Recommendation

    If your search did not yield any results, click “Grant Recommendation Form.”

    If you were able to find the desired organization in the search results or if this grant is to an organization you have previously supported, most of the fields will be populated automatically. If this is a grant to an organization that is not already in our system, only the “Donor(s)" and “Funding Source” fields will be populated.

    Only fields marked with an asterisk are required, so it is okay if you are not able to enter all of the requested information. We will perform due diligence to make sure grants are issued to IRS-qualified public charities.

    Make sure to check the box to agree to our terms of agreement. Click “Save” when done, and then click “OK” on the pop-up window.

    After you click “Save” you will see a list of your pending grant suggestions. Take a moment to review the list to make certain the grants listed are accurate. If you want to suggest another grant, click the “Continue Suggesting Grants” button. This will take you back to the “Research a Nonprofit” page, where you can search for another organization.

    IMPORTANT STEP: Check the boxes next to the grants you wish to submit, click “Submit List” to complete your grant requests, and then click “OK” on the pop-up window.

    Once you have submitted your grants, you will see the “Suggestion Confirmation” screen summarizing your grant suggestions. You will receive an email confirming your submissions.


Grant Guidelines

  • How does the grant approval process work?

    With your donor advised fund, grants may be made to 501(c)(3) organizations in the United States that are in good-standing with the Internal Revenue Service, including governmental, education, and religious institutions. Rest assured that the Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville will exercise due diligence to make sure grants from your fund are given to organizations that have met 501(c)(3) IRS requirements.

    In some cases, the Community Foundation may need to contact you and/or the suggested grant recipient for additional information before approving the grant. Following these grant guidelines will help expedite the Community Foundation’s approval process.

    When making your grants, you may see the terms grant suggestion, grant recommendation, and grant request. This is because the Community Foundation technically owns the assets in your fund, and any grant suggestions are subject to review and approval by the Community Foundation. However, the Community Foundation makes every effort to approve all grant suggestions that are made in accordance with IRS regulations.

    A more detailed explanation of the Community Foundation’s grant guidelines is included in the Procedures for Establishment and Operation of Funds and Affiliated Organizations, available below.

    Read more

  • How long does it take a grant check to reach a recipient?

    Grant checks are generally issued within two weeks of receiving the grant recommendation. However, the process may be shorter or longer, depending on current transaction volume.

  • Can I buy a ticket to a nonprofit event from my fund?

    According to the IRS, you must pay the full cost to attend events (both the tax-deductible and non-tax-deductible portions) from your personal bank account; no portion of an event registration may be paid from your donor advised fund. Logo or name recognition in event materials is permissible. If you choose not to accept any benefits associated with a sponsorship (other than name recognition), the entire amount may be paid from the fund. When submitting a grant request for a sponsorship, please note in your grant suggestion that you are not receiving any tickets, tables, or other benefits in exchange for your sponsorship.

  • Can I buy a membership from my fund?
    You may use your fund to cover the cost of a membership if the charity confirms that the full cost is 100 percent tax deductible. Alternatively, you may also use your fund to cover the cost of a membership if your grant suggestion states that you waive all membership benefits.
  • How do scholarships work?
    You may use your fund to support a scholarship program administered by a 501(c)(3) public charity or educational institution, but you may not earmark dollars to assist a specific individual.
  • Can I make a grant from my fund to honor an individual?
    You may make a contribution to a 501(c)(3) public charity or religious institution in honor of an individual, as long as the charity exercises complete discretion and control over the donation. The Community Foundation understands that many donations do not provide a direct benefit to an individual but are in recognition of an individual’s fundraising efforts. Therefore, when submitting grants in honor of individuals, please explicitly state that the donations are “in honor of [individual’s name]”; “In honor of John Smith’s Mission Trip”; or “In honor of Jane Smith’s 5k Race Team.”
  • Can I recommend that grants be made anonymously?
    Yes, absolutely! You may choose that your name and/or the name of your fund remain anonymous on your grant checks. It is a simple process, so just let us know if you desire anonymity.
  • How current is my fund balance?
    We strive to keep the information displayed in your fund balance on DonorCentral as current as possible. Typically, fund balances are updated on a monthly basis, with gift and grant transactions updated as they are processed. Fund statements are produced quarterly with an email reminder and instructions to access your account.
  • How often are fund statements produced?
    Fund statements are produced quarterly for the preceding quarter. Donors are sent an email reminder and instructions to access your account. Generally, fund statements are available by the 20th day of the month following the end of a quarter.
  • When are investment returns allocated to my fund?
    Investment returns are allocated monthly. All allocations are usually completed by the 15th of the following month. At year end, this will typically take a few additional weeks.
  • When will I see my gifts to my fund online?
    Gifts are processed as they are received. You will typically see a gift appear online the week after it is received in our office. Some types of gifts, such as real estate or stock transactions, may take longer.
  • What is the best way to make a grant recommendation?
    There are a number of ways to make a grant recommendation. Many donors feel the easiest way is through your online account on the DonorCentral portal accessed through our website. Of course, you can always email us your Grant Suggestion Form to initiate your grant request.
  • What are the fees you charge to manage my fund?

    In exchange for the services we provide to you, the Community Foundation charges an annual administrative fee against the balance of your fund.


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