Picture a GLBT community in which our organizations are stable and strong; our people are safe; our families are protected; and our culture is enriched. That's the vision of The Legacy Fund.

The Legacy Fund was founded in 2000 by a group of GLBT community leaders who saw the need for permanent, long-term funding to support our community. They established a permanent fund at The Columbus Foundation, long known in Central Ohio as a safe, established home for community resources.

The Legacy Fund Exists To:

• Secure a permanent source of funding for the central Ohio GLBT community, well beyond the lifetimes of our donors;
• Stabilize and support the current needs of our community;
• Strategically invest in the future of our community and its institutions;
• Protect the civil rights and the mental and physical health of GLBT central Ohioans; and
• Enrich the cultural life and heritage of GLBT persons in central Ohio.
  
  

Basically, we accept donations, invest the money, and use the income to give money back to our community!

It's a little more complicated than that, but not much. Anyone can make a gift to The Legacy Fund. Some people make small gifts to honor a friend, or to remember a loved one. Others make larger gifts, in a desire to support the whole community. Still others make planned gifts, which are things like bequests in a Will, insurance policies, 401(K) plans, and charitable trusts, where The Legacy Fund is a beneficiary. We can also accept non-cash gifts, such as stock and real estate. (For more information on making a gift to Legacy, click here)

Once we receive a donation, it is safely invested through the Columbus Foundation and its team of financial managers. That money, of course, produces income and growth in the form of interest, dividends, or appreciation in value.

Each year, The Legacy Fund board looks at the fund's value and decides how much money it can give away in grants. The idea is to create a permanent source of funding by keeping the principal intact as much as possible. The fund will then make grants to benefit the community throughout the year. (For more information on grants, click here).

The Legacy Fund is an advised fund of The Columbus Foundation. This means that we have a contract with The Columbus Foundation as to how we operate. We have our own Advisory Board, which raises the money, makes sure it is safely invested, and decides how the grants will be made. The Advisory Board then makes grant recommendations to The Columbus Foundation board, and the grants are awarded. The Legacy Fund also has one part-time staff person to ensure its programs run smoothly. (For a list of current Legacy Fund Advisory Board members, click here).

We are proud that Columbus, Ohio, is regularly listed among the top 10 places for GLBT people to live. Yet, as with most communities across the country, our organizations and institutions are often underfunded.

What if, we reasoned,these agencies could stop worrying about keeping their doors open, their lights on, and the staff paid, and start concentrating on building programmatic excellence?

GLBT people contribute greatly to the rich culture and quality of life in central Ohio. Yet, we are underserved by that community. Organizations outside our community which provide vital services for youth, mental and physical health, shelter, and spirituality are often ill-equipped to do so in an inclusive, GLBT-friendly manner.

What if, we thought, every GLBT person in the area could be assured that all their basic needs will be met in culturally competent ways, and their lives will be culturally enriched?

Our GLBT community is strong and unified. Yet, we are constantly on the defensive, fighting discrimination and homophobia. We know from 2004's Issue One that our families are under attack, and GLBT persons-from youth to seniors-are vulnerable to harassment and violence.

What if we had the resources to educate the public, to advocate to our officials, to truly build common ground with others? What if, the next time our community is under attack, we could be strong enough to successfully fight it?

The Legacy Fund is here to take the "what if's" and turn them into reality.

The Legacy Fund currently has approximately $130,000 in assets. We also have approximately $400,000 in pledges, payable in one to four years, from our Founding Families and Supporting Families. (For more information on these programs, click here).

Our current goal is to raise $1 Million in cash and short-term pledges by December 31, 2005. This will properly establish the endowment and generate enough growth to support significant community grants.

Once we reach our $1 Million goal, our plan is to discontinue active solicitations for current pledges. We will then focus primarily on establishing planned gifts to the Fund, through charitable bequests, trusts, and other tools. We believe that the primary growth of The Legacy Fund will come from these planned gifts.

The reason for this plan is two-fold. First, we do not wish to compete with the annual campaigns of our community organizations who so desperately need funding. Second, we see ourselves as the planned giving tool for the entire GLBT community. Most of our community organizations do not have the capacity or expertise to run planned giving programs. Our relationship with The Columbus Foundation gives us that capacity and expertise.