News From CCF-LA | October 20, 2021
More bang for your charitable buck!
With just two months to complete any gift planning for this taxable calendar year, it’s a reminder that we have options. We can write checks to tax- and religious-exempt organizations, we can gift appreciated stock to avoid capital gains, we can set up a designated fund for a particular charity with a small opening balance and make that fund a beneficiary in our estate plan, under certain restrictions we can make a charitable contribution from our IRA accounts, we can open a Donor-Advised Fund and start to earn tax-free investment income, and we can consider transferring our real property to a charity.

All these options really depend on your tax situation. One option I would like to zero in on is the ability to convert a family foundation to a Donor-Advised Fund. This is a simple process that makes it easier to manage family philanthropy by including multigenerational members to ensure the family legacy lives on in perpetuity.

The benefits of a DAF over a private family foundation range from increased tax deductibility for donors to low cost and administrative ease of managing grants and investments. Our Donor-Advised Funds vs. Private Foundation chart provides much more information. Also attached are the simple steps on how to make the switch to a DAF.

At CCF-LA, we work with family philanthropists to get the most out of their charitable giving, engage family members as successor advisers, and ensure that the wishes of the founders are carried out over the long term by their heirs.

Please call Matt Moreno at (213) 618-4393, Kara Duncan at (213) 426-1200, or me for more information on our services for managing mutigenerational family philanthropy. -- Kathy Anderson, President and Executive Director

Strategic planning is all about what’s possible

By William M. Wardlaw, Board of Directors Chairman

CCF-LA just completed its strategic planning process following its first six operating years. Part of the planning methodology involved looking back—how did we measured up to the first strategic plan—but the main focus was looking forward to what’s possible given the level of resources, lessons learned, and product offerings.

The review involved a critical assessment of our operating style and how we stack up against our peers. We are a competitive service provider based on controlled operating expenses, and we provide high-quality services based on our staff expertise and automation in our back office. These facts resulted in our determination to keep a strategy for a high AUM growth model that will yield enough fees to pay for operations and goals.

After reviewing our primary services, the concept of a Family Office was just another step in the strategic-planning process. We identified a strong need to work with multigenerational issues of families as they prepare to pass the experience of philanthropy management to their heirs. The next phase for CCF-LA is the creation of our Family Office strategic plan. Stay tuned.
From the Desk of Our CFO
September ended the seven-month “winning streak” of positive returns but proved to be a difficult month for stocks and bonds. All sectors in the equity markets (with the exception of energy) were negative for the month, and major bond yields increased as central-bank communication turned more hawkish and inflationary pressures picked up.

The Balanced Pool results (net of fees) for September were -2.96%, which brought the return for the first nine months of 2021 to 8.15%. Our Intermediate Fund had a monthly return of -0.12% and +4.63% for the year through September 30, 2021. Please feel free to contact our client services team with any questions or requests for additional information.

— Andrew O'Boyle
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
CCF-LA News and Events
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month With CALL

CCF-LA was proud to sponsor and attend CALL’s 9th Annual Gala and Angels Awards at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Plaza. Some 400 attendees were serenaded by “mariachi nuns” from the Carmelite order, who celebrated the achievements of Los Angeles’ Hispanic leadership. Read more.
Field of Dreams

Before joining CCF-LA, our new Director of Client Development, Maggie Byrne, was blessed to work as the Development Director at St. Francis X. Cabrini School and to experience the impact of four large CCF-LA grants to the school that in part were used to create Sister Johnnie's Field Read more.
A Warm Welcome at Resurrection School

CCF-LA client Roger Cusumano (left) and Resurrection Catholic School principal Adan Jaramillo joined CCF-LA staff for a heartfelt tour of the school after a 19-month hiatus to witness firsthand all the good the Cusumano Family Charitable Fund has had on the school over the last three years. Read more.
Interning at CCF-LA: A Real-Life Education

Summer intern Cole Edwards shares his experience interning at CCF-LA and how it has informed his pursuit of a degree in Finance at Santa Clara University. We look forward to welcoming him back over winter break. Read more.
The Catholic Community Foundation of Los Angeles empowers charitable individuals and organizations across cultures and generations through professional philanthropy management solutions that allow clients to develop and sustain their philanthropy in support of Catholic values.
Catholic Community Foundation of LA CatholicCF-LA.org | (213) 426-1180