Endowment Funds
Make your gifts last forever
A permanent investment in the causes you care about — growing and giving for generations
The Process
How an Endowment Works
Creating an endowment is like making a long-term investment in something you care about. Start one today and it
keeps on giving for generations, supporting the causes you choose. Many donors establish endowments to honor
loved ones, colleagues, or mentors — creating a lasting tribute to their lives and influence. Starting is as easy as
signing a CREATE Foundation Endowment Fund agreement and contributing a gift of at least $5,000.
Donor makes a gift
Sign the Fund agreement and
contribute a gift of at least
$5,000. You’ll receive a tax
receipt immediately.
Create invests the gift
We invest your contribution so
the fund grows. Quarterly
statements show contributions,
disbursements, gains, and
interest.
Annual grants are made
Each year grants flow from your
fund to designated
organizations — typically at a
4% annual distribution rate.
The impact is lasting
The principal is never spent.
The process repeats year after
year — your gift grows and
gives indefinitely.
Fund Options
Types of Endowment Funds
Whether you have a specific cause, a favorite charity, or simply want to help wherever the need is greatest, there’s a fund type designed for you.
Scholarship Funds
Honor and memorialize loved ones while helping students further their education. Funds may be designated for a field of study, county, school, or area.
Designated Funds
Name a specific charity or charities that will benefit in perpetuity. CREATE provides management and oversight to ensure your gift is used exactly as you intended — forever.
Unrestricted Funds
Let your endowment benefit any area of need. As community priorities evolve, your fund becomes a living legacy that grows and adapts alongside the region you love.
Field-of-Interest Funds
Define a cause — literacy, the arts, shelter animals — without being tied to one charity. CREATE identifies the projects that most effectively accomplish your goal.
State Incentive
Endowment Mississippi Tax Credit
Our team guides you through every step — from fund type to maximizing tax benefits.
STATE TAX CREDIT PROGRAM
25% Back
On Your Gift
Created by the Mississippi Legislature, 2019
STATE TAX CREDIT PROGRAM
- Applies to gifts to permanent endowments at CREATE Foundation
- Minimum gift: $1,000 (earns a $250 tax credit)
- Maximum gift: $500,000 (earns a $125,000 tax credit)
- Credits are LIMITED — contact us promptly before they run out
- Unused credits reset on January 1 each year
- Applies to new or existing endowment funds
Funding Your Endowment
Ways to Give
Starting your endowment is straightforward. We accept a variety of asset types — each with distinct tax advantages for you.
Check or Credit Card
Make checks payable to “CREATE Foundation,” note your fund in memo. Gifts can also be made via credit card online anytime.
Appreciated Securities
Give stocks or mutual funds and bypass capital gains tax entirely. Can fund both endowments and Donor Advised Funds.
IRA Qualified Distribution
Let your endowment benefit any area of need. As community priorities evolve, your fund becomes a living legacy that grows and adapts alongside the region you love.
Real Property
Define a cause — literacy, the arts, shelter animals — without being tied to one charity. CREATE identifies the projects that most effectively accomplish your goal.
Regional Network
Community Affiliates
CREATE’s Community Affiliates engage local citizens to build endowments raised and allocated within their own counties — giving every corner of Northeast Mississippi a dedicated philanthropic home.
Alcorn County
- C.A.R.E. Endowment Fund
Calhoun County
- Calhoun County Endowment Fund
Chickasaw County
- PACE Endowment Fund
Clay County
- West Point Community Endowment Fund
Itawamba County
- FIRST Endowment Fund
Lafayette County
- LOFT Endowment Fund
Lee County
- LEAD Endowment Fund
Lowndes County
- Columbus Lowndes Foundation
Marshall County
- BEAM Endowment Fund
Monroe County (N)
- North Monroe Community Endowment
Monroe County (S)
- South Monroe Community Endowment
Oktibbeha County
- Starkville Community Foundation
Pontotoc County
- PACT Endowment Fund
Prentiss County
- PROPEL Endowment Fund
Tippah County
- TARGET Endowment Fund
Union County
- UNITE Endowment Fund
Ready to Start Your Endowment?
Our team guides you through every step — from fund type to maximizing tax benefits.
