Our Administrative Fund Fees Cover Personal and Expert Services You Can Trust
When you establish a charitable fund at the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, we are at your service with thoughtful, informed insights and responsive support to ensure your giving reflects your priorities for doing good.
We do not charge an investment management fee to your fund. Rather, we report investment returns net of investment manager fees, and pay our investment consultant through our own operating funds.
Our administrative fee enables us to provide additional support to fundholders, and continue our work to promote a vibrant community. This work includes strategic grantmaking, nonprofit and community convening, research into impactful grantmaking and scholarships, and marshalling resources from outside of our region to benefit our three counties.
What Your Fee Covers
Donor Support
- Facilitating co-investment opportunities
- Managing our online platform through which donors make grant recommendations and can view fund balances
- Due diligence to ensure grantee organizations are in good standing with the IRS
- Personalized reports to scholarship and community grantmaking fundholders
Student Support
- Recruiting scholarship applications through high school guidance departments, colleges and educational fairs
- Reviewing 1,500+ scholarship applications annually
- Training community volunteers to review applications
Nonprofit Support
- Assessing community needs and setting timely and relevant grantmaking priorities
- Distributing emergency grants during crises
- Training and convening nonprofits
- Training volunteer reviewers
The fees below are applied on a stepped basis, based on your fund balance. These fees are annualized.
Advised fund fees are charged monthly. All others are based on a thirteen-quarter trailing average in order to dampen the influence of market volatility.
Advised Funds
| Value of Fund | Fee |
|---|---|
| First $500,000 | 1.25% |
| Next $500,000 | 1.19% |
| Next $1 million | 1.13% |
| Next $3 million | .63% |
| Over $5 million | .50% |
Minimum annual fee is $125. An additional fee of .15% is applied for funds invested in specially created portfolios.
Designated Funds
| Value of Fund | Fee |
|---|---|
| First $500,000 | 1.00% |
| Next $500,000 | .95% |
| Next $4 million | .90% |
| Next $5 million | .85% |
| Next $5 million | .80% |
| Over $15 million | .75% |
Minimum annual fee is $125.
Community Grantmaking Funds and Services
- 1.25% on rolling average balance
- $125 minimum annual fee
Scholarship Funds
For Funds Using the Foundation’s Internal Selection Committee
| Value of Fund | Fee |
|---|---|
| First $500,000 | 1.50% |
| Next $500,000 | 1.25% |
| Next $4 Million | 1.00% |
| Next $10 Million | .85% |
| Over $15,000,000 | .75% |
Minimum fee is $300. Minimum scholarship award is $1,000.
For Funds with Donor Participation or an External Selection Committee
| Value of Fund | Fee |
|---|---|
| First $500,000 | 2.00% |
| Next $500,000 | 1.50% |
| Next $4 million | 1.25% |
| Next $10 million | 1.00% |
| Over $15 million | .75% |
Minimum fee is $500. Minimum scholarship award is $1,000.
Educational Loan Funds
2.00% of current fund balance
Nonprofit Advised Funds
| Value of Fund | Fee |
|---|---|
| First $500,000 | 1.25% |
| Next $500,000 | 1.19% |
| Next $1 million | 1.13% |
| Next $3 million | .63% |
| Over $5 million | .50% |
Minimum annual fee is $125.
Nonprofit Endowed Funds
| Value of Fund | Fee |
|---|---|
| First $500,000 | 1.00% |
| Next $500,000 | .95% |
| Next $4 million | .90% |
| Next $5 million | .85% |
| Next $5 million | .80% |
| Over $15 million | .75% |
Minimum annual fee is $125.
An additional fee of .15% is applied for funds invested in specially created portfolios.
Tax Preparation Services
- $125 for gift annuities
- $250 for remainder and lead trusts