I'm toying with the idea of starting an endowment fund. Where do I start gathering information?

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You can park it in the Powerpig needs a new Ferrari Endowment Fund.

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99 ML320
94 SL600
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87 560SEC
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13 Fiat Abarth
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You mean your Jag repair fund?

__________________
You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

You mean male enhancement pills won't work and surgery is your sole option?

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OK wiseguy. Enough already! Sheesh! Can't get anyone to take anything seriously around here. All I need is $250k.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

What, do you just want everyone to know you are starting one?

First hit on google: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnonprofit.about.com%2Fod%2Ffundraisingbasics%2Fa%2Fstartendowment.htm&ei=MQ8bScWzK6Cy8ASB4JSnDg&usg=AFQjCNGYPcpG2Xrym0C7-6yFkvWtOnTzXA&sig2=FBjo0QPtbD_q9GopmAxrWg

If it is for an institution of higher learning, they will almost always have a bank that will provide an officer to set up the non-profit and hold/invest the funds gratis.

Are you looking to set this up as a trust??

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'95 S320 LWB
'87 300SDL
'04 E500 wagon 4matic

.."starting an endowment fund".

Flesh this out a little. What, generally speaking, do you want to do? For whom?

Arts organization. I have a general idea about how it works. I guess I really need a little mentorship that's all.

__________________
You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

I need a new Mercedes, Powerpig has enough cars!

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

If you are interested in gifting to an existing, single tax exempt NFP organization, wouldn't that be pretty straight forward. I imagine you could meet with a lawyer to draw up a gifting arrangement and/or with the reciepient organization to discuss it with them. If they'll get the money, they will likely help in establishing the legal framework.

If you are interested in setting up your own organization, fund it with your own money and then gift it to the Charaties/TE organizations you select, you would essentially be looking into creating a Private Foundation - "operating" or "non-operating", depending on whether you "operate" a charitable organization, or merely fund other publicly funded CO's, in which case you are a "non-operating" PF.
There are strict rules on required distributions, self dealing and many other issues. IRS Publication 578 has tax information on PF's....more info than you probably would want to know. www.irs.gov Search for it under publications. Somewhere under the charities tab they have a section called "Life cycle of a Private Foundation" There is also one for life cycle of Charities, iirc. These have a lot of information on the what, when and how of forming these entities.

A former client of mine who moved to S/E OH wanted to create a PF with some land he had out there and make it available for public and charitable uses. He was able to create a PF and get IRS T/E approval. He used a law firm in Wheeling WVA, iirc.

Hope this helps.