Open a Fund

A donor-advised fund with Central Indiana Community Foundation—or either of our affiliates, The Indianapolis Foundation and Hamilton County Community Foundation—allows donors to potentially realize the greatest tax benefits of charitable giving while flexibly supporting their favorite charities over time.

In addition to a more traditional donor-advised fund, you can also open an IMPACT fund. These funds offer a unique and innovative approach that allows fundholders to invest in both not-for-profit and for-profit enterprises in the form of loans, equity investments, and flexible capital arrangements—with the potential of financial return. Learn more about IMPACT funds.

We want to make charitable giving equitable, easy and fulfilling. Encouraging people to be generous and supporting our neighbors to make our community—and the world—a better place is a privilege we have had for more than 100 years.

How It Works

There is no minimum requirement to open a fund.

You can contribute to your fund at any time and in any amount through our online portal, CICF Connect.

Donor-advised funds with balances of $25,000 or more are assessed a 1% tiered annual administrative fee. There is no minimum dollar amount required to open a donor-advised fund. The administrative fee is assessed quarterly (i.e., 1/4 of the total fee each quarter).

Please note that unlike commercial donor-advised fund products, all administrative fees paid to CICF stay local and fund our work to make Central Indiana a more equitable place to live, work and play.

When you’re ready to open your fund, fill out the form below, which should take just a few minutes. Upon receipt of your application, our staff will contact you to finalize your new fund agreement.

Open a Fund

We're here to help. How would you like to get started?

How would you like to get started?

Great! Let's get started.

Please choose a name for your fund. Ex. Smith Family Fund or John and Jane Smith Fund. Note that unless you choose for your fund name to be anonymous, it will be provided to grantees when you recommend grants from your fund.
Type of Fund *

Next, tell us who should have access to your fund.

We refer to these individuals as Fund Advisors. You may have up to 2 Fund Advisors for your Fund. Each Fund Advisor will have full and equal privileges with respect to your Fund, but the Primary Fund Advisor will serve as the primary point of contact with CICF

Primary Fund Advisor

Some of the information provided below will be used for internal electronic communications from CICF.
Gender Identity
Ethnicity (As we strive to be more equitable, this information will be used for our data purposes and will only be shared in aggregate.)
(As we strive to be more equitable, this information will be used for our data purposes and will only be shared in aggregate.) Select all boxes that apply.
MM/DD/YYYY format
Enter Email
Confirm Email
County of Residence
Address Type *
Address
Street Address
Building/Apartment/Suite #
City
State/Province
Zip/Postal

Additional Fund Advisor

Gender Identity
Ethnicity
(As we strive to be more equitable, this information will be used for our data purposes and will only be shared in aggregate.) Select all boxes that apply.
MM/DD/YYYY format
Enter Email
Confirm Email
Is the Additional Fund Advisor's address the same as the Primary Fund Advisor's address?
Please type in the address below.
Address Type *
Address
Street Address
Building/Apartment/Suite #
City
State/Province
Zip/Postal

Initial Fund Information

Are you transferring an existing donor-advised fund to CICF?
What entity is the fund coming from?
How much do you anticipate contributing to start your fund?
CICF’s No Minimum, No Fee Donor-Advised Fund makes philanthropy accessible to all. As the name suggests, there is no minimum amount required to start your fund, and your fund is not assessed any administrative or investment fees. While you do not have an assigned Effective Philanthropy Officer, you do have 24/7 online access to your fund via our donor portal, CICF Connect. You also have access to our Effective Philanthropy online help desk with any questions you may have about your grantmaking. We invest your fund in our short-term investment pool, and investment returns, if any, are paid to CICF to help subsidize the cost of your fund. Contact Sarah Weaver at sarahw@cicf.org with any questions about No Minimum, No Fee Donor-Advised Funds.

We'll Contact You

County of Residence
What type of fund are you interested in?
Check all that apply.

Who is your financial advisor/estate planning attorney

Do you have a financial advisor that you would like us to work with for your charitable giving? *
Firm Address
Firm Address
Address Line #1
Address Line #2
City
State/Province
Zip/Postal

Now, tell us how you want your fund invested.

Please select an investment pool. *
This can be edited during the fund creation process. Final investment pool language will be noted in the fund agreement.
Please note: This option is only available for donor-advised funds with a balance of $25,000 or more.

How would you like to contribute to your fund?

Would you like to make a contribution into your fund today with a debit/credit card? *

All new funds started online are “pass-through” funds, meaning that 100% of the fund balance is available for distribution (less fees and expenses). If you are interested in learning more about or starting an “endowed” fund, where distributions are limited to 5% of the fund balance annually, or if you have questions about the distinction between pass-through funds and endowed funds, please contact Clark K. Collier, CFRM, Director of Giving Strategies at
clarkc@cicf.org or 317-634-2423 x511.

Are you interested in learning more about planned giving options through CICF?
Note: Planned giving refers to charitable giving through your estate plan, typically after your lifetime.

Finally, how did you hear about us?

How did you find out about the Central Indiana Community Foundation? *
Terms and Conditions:

By clicking “Submit” your application to establish a fund will be submitted to CICF’s development team, and a member of that team will contact you to finalize your fund agreement. In the meantime, you will receive an email that provides more information on how to contribute to your fund.
Any contribution to your fund constitutes an irrevocable contribution to Central Indiana Community Foundation and is not refundable.
Please note that the information provided is general and educational in nature. It is not intended to be, and should not be construed as, legal or tax advice. Central Indiana Community Foundation does not provide legal or tax advice. Consult an attorney or tax advisor regarding your specific legal or tax situation.
If you have any questions throughout the process, please contact:

Clark K. Collier, CFRM
Director of Giving Strategies
clarkc@cicf.org
317-634-2423 x511