Make a Gift

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Your charitable interests and goals are a priority at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. For 25 years we have worked with thousands of individuals, foundations, businesses and nonprofit organizations to realize their philanthropic mission, creating a meaningful and lasting legacy. Listen to Elizabeth Wight's donor story.


The Community Foundation will provide you with the professional staff and guidance you need to fulfill your charitable goals. There are several types of gifts that will enable you to start giving immediately.

The Community Foundation can accept gifts of almost any kind, including:

  • Cash
  • Marketable securities, including stocks, bonds and mutual funds
  • Restricted stock and IPOs
  • Real estate, mortgages and notes
  • Closely-held businesses, including partnerships and limited liability company interests
  • Qualified intellectual property
  • Life insurance policies
Please call us at 313-961-6675 to begin making a difference today. You can also review our Procedures for Making a Gift for assistance with gifts of cash and marketable securities.

  • Create a Fund

    Most donors wishing to create a legacy and provide ongoing support for the causes they care about will establish a permanent endowment fund that will provide a source of financial support to benefit charitable organizations for generations to come. To learn about the types of funds you can create, visit the Create a Fund page.

    Donor and Advisor Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

    As a donor to the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, you are entitled to:

    • Receive information about the Community Foundation's administrative fees and its spending and investment policies
    • Receive prompt gift acknowledgments
    • Be listed as a donor in Community Foundation annual reports and other publications, unless you have requested to remain anonymous
    • Be added to the Community Foundation's mailing list

    Planned Gifts

    The Community Foundations offers a variety of investment opportunities for donors, including pooled income funds that allow you to contribute assets into one of two pooled income funds previously established by the Community Foundation. These funds permit multiple donors to collectively pool assets into one charitable arrangement. You, or others you designate, share in the income earned by the pooled income fund based on the amount you added. The Community Foundation pooled income funds have different investment objectives in order to address your income needs. New donors to our pooled income fund can get started with a contribution of as little as $5,000.

  • Tax Information

    You can receive the best tax benefits available under the law by working with the Community Foundation, including information about federal tax deductions and potentially avoiding capital gains taxes.