Public Announcements from The Foundation

May 29, 2013 - Arlington, Virginia

Foundation for the Catholic Diocese of Arlington makes first Distribution - Charitable grant made to Christ House in Alexandria, Virginia

The Foundation for the Catholic Diocese of Arlington (Foundation), a 501(c) (3) public charity, has made its first distribution from a Donor Advised Fund (DAF).

The Foundation began as a conversation driven by parishioners verbalizing their interest in establishing endowments which could allow for donating in the present to care for Church needs into perpetuity. While the concept of having a foundation is not new; within the tax regulation, legal costs, and donor options of this millennium, the timing was right for our Diocese to establish a Foundation which could assist parishioners in finding ways to enhance their charitable giving.

The primary purpose of establishing a DAF in the Foundation is to provide donors with the programs, tools, resources, and support to make charitable giving simple and to carry out the legacy of their family’s stewardship. The mission of the Foundation is to receive and steward charitable gifts in support of the spiritual, educational, and social service needs of families and individuals by helping provide for the long-term financial stability of parishes, schools, diocesan ministries, and other entities aligned with the principles of the Roman Catholic Church. A majority of grant recipients will be within the geographic boundaries of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington.

Christ House Men’s Shelter in the City of Alexandria was a wonderful donor choice to receive the first Grant made through this Foundation. Christ House is a Catholic Charities of Arlington program which acts within their mission to extend services and resources to all in need. “I can think of no better expression of Faith in Action than the work at Christ House” said Joe Guiffre, Chairman of the Board for the Foundation. “This first gift from a DAF is an example of the use of donor advising funding for programs in the diocese. Christ House does two things well. It feeds the hungry and, provides a way out of dependency by offering men the help needed to break away from homelessness and to provide for themselves by getting work.”

All parishioners are eligible to establish a Donor Advised Fund within this Foundation. The Foundation was created in 2011 as a means for giving. The Catholic Diocese of Arlington is geographically comprised of seven cities and 21 counties within the Commonwealth of Virginia.

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