Skip to main content
Plan Your Giving  >  Individuals & Families  >  Create a Charitable Fund  >  North Star Services

CFT's North Star Services



For donors with a commitment to achieve their philanthropic north star and create a thriving community for all

What we offer:  

  • Dedicated philanthropic advisors who provide extensive community knowledge
  • Charitable giving options that meet your needs for today and in the future
  • Customized legacy planning
  • Flexible grantmaking
  • Freedom from accounting management and tax filings
  • Ability to keep your current investment manager

For an additional fee: 

  • Unique, customized grant application process
  • Personalized webpage with custom URL and logo

Why choose CFT over a private foundation?

  • Charitable Concierge
    • ​Dedicated relationship manager to serve as your charitable concierge to ensure highest level of service.
  • ​Governance
    • Options for the governance structure of your fund to meet your needs. We can help facilitate meetings, structure family discussions, set an advisory board, or you can work independently.
  • No Start-Up Costs
    • Charitable donation that is fully grantable, $0 to create and customize governing documents and open fund.
  • Customized Grantmaking
    • Tailored research, identification, and vetting of nonprofits, including multi-year commitments and nonprofit reporting.
  • Better Tax Benefits
    • Benefits include higher immediate tax benefits and no net investment income tax.
  • No Annual Charitable Payout
    • No annual required amount to grant.
  • Privacy
    • Donor decides, grant by grant, how much information to share with recipients.
  • Customized Philanthropic Advising
    • Information on thousands of charities and a l required due diligence available without additional costs of an employee or contractor.

“The value that CFT brings is in working with so many nonprofits closely. We’re able to align with the goals of donors and recommend vetted nonprofits that are best positioned to do specific types of work and make an impact long-term,” - Galen Smith, CFT’s senior officer of community philanthropy

Philanthropic Advising

CFT’s team of experts specialize in providing expansive services to individuals, families, private foundations, corporate foundations, and businesses for various levels of charitable giving. Our team will work with you to identify your giving style and passions, as well as formulate a giving strategy that aligns with the causes and issue areas you care about most.  

Services we offer: 

  1. Build your strategy: Refine your philanthropic objectives through CFT’s GiveWisely® program  
  2. Find the best nonprofits: Leverage CFT's network of 3,000+ area nonprofits to find grant opportunities that align best with your grantmaking strategy. Specifically, CFT can: 
    • Develop customized lists of grant opportunities
    • Provide financial reviews of nonprofits of interest
  3. Measure progress: Monitor the effectiveness of grants through periodic grant report reviews. Specifically, CFT can:
    • Coordinate site visits to build stronger knowledge of nonprofits
    • Collect and review grant performance reports to better understand progress toward key goals

For an Additional Fee:​

CFT can design and implement customized grantmaking strategies for clients that have very specific needs. Services include:
  • Designing or updating grant guidelines, grant applications, and grant evaluations
  • Hosting customized application processes on CFTs online grantmaking platform
  • Reviewing grant applications and developing grant recommendations
  • Coordinating nonprofit evaluations so client can better understand the impact of grants

A Passion for the Arts

Read The Full Story

What are your charitable goals?

CFT's philanthropic experts are here to work with you to develop your personal, strategic charitable giving plan. Contact us today for a confidential consultation.

Request a Consultation