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Giving Through the Scranton Area Foundation Donors Have Many Options:

No matter what your level of giving or charitable goals, the Scranton Area Foundation has a fund to suit your needs. Each one gives you a convenient, flexible vehicle for making a permanent contribution to the community.

Unrestricted Funds: donations of all sizes on which the donor places no restrictions -- are the most essential for ensuring the Foundation's ability to meet the community's present and future needs. The income from unrestricted funds accounts for the majority of grants awarded each year. By recognizing the importance of the Foundation's continued flexibility when responding to urgent issues, you agree to rely on the Board of Governors' professional grant analysis.

Donor-Advised Funds:  allow you to make an outright gift to the Foundation and provides the opportunity for you to make recommendations to the Foundation for grants from your fund. Since the Foundation administers your fund, you are assured of its permanence well beyond your own ability to advise.

Donor-Designated Funds:  are appropriate when you wish to specifically designate which organization will be the recipient of grants from your fund. The Board of Governors regularly reviews the activities of designated charities to be sure the original intentions of the donor continue to be met.

Field of Interest Funds: allow you to stipulate a special area of interest in which the grant will be distributed. Whether it be in such areas as education, health, or the arts, you are assured your gift will meet the most pressing needs within that discipline, and continue indefinitely according to your original intent.

Memorial Funds: are an excellent way to perpetuate a family name or honor the memory of a relative or close friend who has died.


As A Donor, The Foundation Offers You:

Flexibility: The Scranton Area Foundation is structured to monitor and address changes in our community as they occur. Donors have many options in working with the Foundation for the good of the community.

Convenience: Since the majority of legal and paperwork is already in place, the Foundation can help you establish a fund quickly and easily -- allowing you to begin enjoying the tax advantages immediately.

Donor Accessibility: Donors to the Foundation come from all walks of life -- ranging from those with relatively modest means, to ones with large financial resources. Your gifts to the Foundation may be combined with others in an existing general or special-purpose fund to achieve the maximum charitable benefit. This way, each donation -- whether large or small -- helps to build the productive capability of the Foundation's assets.

Advantageous Tax Treatment: The Federal Tax Code provides donors to a community foundation significant incentives and maximum deductibility for income, gift and estate tax purposes.

Fund Management:  The Scranton Area Foundation administers funds with a commitment to insuring their long term stability and growth. The Foundation's Board of Governors, comprised of knowledgeable community leaders, studies the many requests for funds and bases its distribution decisions on the priority of the region's current needs.

Stability: The Foundations offers stability and continuity for charitable works that is unaffected by political shifts or economic downturns.

Accountability: The Scranton Area Foundation is fully accountable to you, our donors. Your funds will be used in the public interest -- to build a stronger community and ensure its health and vigor, well into the future.

Investment Total Return Policy

The Scranton Area Foundation has adopted a total return policy in an effort to maintain or increase the true value of endowment and its distributions to the community now and in the future. By utilizing a total return policy more return will
come from capital appreciation rather than only current income of permanent funds.

Each year the Board of Governors and its Investment Committee establishes a spending percentage of its asset base. This amount may be more or less than actual income from dividends and interest. A total return policy means that interest, dividends and capital appreciation are considered as a single amount in the fund.

The spending rate holds spending in check through lucrative years, and enables spending in less productive years. Thus, donors funds are being managed to provide a balance between current and future community needs and opportunities. Investment decisions can be based on flexible long-term strategies which are not subject to sudden changes in interest rates or market value. Grant recipients and the community will be able to count on funds from their community foundation which will be made available for distribution based not only on changes in current investment income.

SAF Investment Managers

Penn Security Bank & Trust Company
150 North Washington Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503
Michael G. Ostermayer, Chief Investment Officer
William J. Calpin, Jr., Senior Vice President

PNC Advisors
201 Penn Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503
Paul W. Kamor,Vice President
Deborah A. Kolsovsky, Senior Vice President Managing Director

Smith Barney
Scranton Life Building
538 Spruce Street Suite 200
Scranton, PA 18503
Thomas J. Schatzman, Vice President Investments
Kimberly A. Santarsiero, Financial Consultant

The Investment Committee of the Scranton Area Foundation reviews performance of investment managers quarterly and makes recommendations to the Board of Governors, who are accountable for setting and enacting policy with regard to investment of funds at the Scranton Area Foundation.

Information regarding investments and investment fees at the Scranton Area Foundation is always available at the Foundation office.

Also available at the Foundation office is the 2005 IRS Form 990 and annual audit performed by McGrail, Merkel, Quinn & Associates, which are on file for public review.