How to give

There are many ways to direct your giving to the local causes you care about. We’ll find the best one for you

Our expert advisors are here to guide you in your charitable giving. We know that no two donors are alike, so we can help you define how you would like to give and identify the issues that you care most about. 

We pride ourselves on being able to match donors with the causes they care about and will work with you to ensure your giving is both effective and rewarding. 

You will find information variety of ways you can give below or in our Guide to Giving.

Endowed Funds

Community foundations are specialists in endowed funds, building an asset for the long-term benefit of the local community. Our endowment is made up of multiple funds, set up by people who care about their community and who want to support causes locally. Funds are invested and returns used for grant-making year after year. Endowed funds are great if you want to:

Make a difference over the long-term

Leave a legacy

Create a fund in memory of a loved one

Create a corporate fund rather than setting up your own foundation

Transfer a trust whilst ensuring that its name, aims and objectives live on

Donor Advised Funds


For larger funds you may want greater involvement, so choosing a donor advised fund means that you can be actively involved in choosing the causes to support. You can be as hands-on or hands-off as you’d like to be – from project visits to groups to simply reviewing applications online. Donor advised funds can be flow-through or invested for the long-term. We work closely with you to understand what you want and to tailor your fund, and our relationship to meet your needs.

Flow-through Funds

Funds can be set up as ‘flow-through funds’ and used for immediate benefit, with grants awarded straight away, usually within a year, making an immediate impact for the local community. Flow-through funds can be one-off or regular gifts.

Match Funds

From time to time we have access to match funding which enables you to increase the size of your fund, by attracting additional funds from another source (for example national and local government or another major funder). This is a fantastic way to grow your fund, increase your impact or leverage more money for a specific cause or area.

Leave a legacy

Setting up something as important as a legacy can be daunting. It is a privilege to work with people who want to be sure that their charitable giving goes beyond their lifetime. We can help you deal with the sensitivities of deciding how best to make a difference.

By naming the foundation as a beneficiary in your will with no restrictions, you will give us the maximum flexibility to support important causes and respond to the ever-changing needs in our county.

Or you can create a named fund to support your charitable interests, which will ensure your name lives on. You can also allow your family to have an input on how its funds are distributed.

Whichever route you choose, we will help you manage your legacy, giving you the confidence that the money you leave will always be used wisely.

Become a Friend

The Friends of Wiltshire Community Foundation are supporters who help us continue our vital work by making monthly or annual donations. Becoming a Friend gives you a deeper insight into the issues in the county and how we support local communities. Friends receive regular updates on our work as well as invitations to events.

Regular and One-off Donations

We also welcome gifts from donors who wish to make one-off or regular gifts. You can contribute to a particular themed fund, support one or more named charities or make an entirely unrestricted gift.

Transfer a trust

You can transfer an existing charitable trust to Wiltshire Community Foundation. We will ensure that grants are distributed in the spirit of the trust's original objectives, both now and in the future. The Community Foundation is able to assume management of charitable trusts that benefit the people of Wiltshire & Swindon. Trusts can be recreated as a new Named Fund, with the same name as the former Charitable Trust. The objects of the trust can be retained or amended, and if any of the Trustees wish to remain involved they can often do so as an advisory panel.

We take on all the responsibilities for investment, administration and compliance with Charity Law. All applications for funding will be thoroughly assessed by our grants team and ratified by the board of Trustees, ensuring that good-quality grants are made regularly from the fund, now and in the future.

Gift shares, land, or buildings

We have expertise and experience in receiving donations of shares, land, or buildings. Speak to your professional advisor or call our Development Team for information about how we can help.

Corporate giving

Every company we work with has access to our extensive local knowledge, advice on how to structure their CSR programmes and which initiatives will work for them - and which won't.

At work with many companies in Wiltshire and Swindon, ranging from SMEs, professional advisors and banks to some of the region’s largest corporates. During our long-standing relationships, many of our corporate donors have helped us by providing interesting venues for meetings or events, recommending us to their peers and sponsoring our events and activities.

We offer a bespoke service to our corporate clients, tailoring CSR programmes to meet their needs, and they can be as involved in their giving - or as hands-off - as they like.

Philanthropy Team
Joanne Brady and Fiona Oliver
info@wiltshirecf.org.uk 01380 729284

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