Yes, and some more than others.
The concept of endowment aligns closely with our Catholic beliefs. Endowments are charitable funds that are invested, grown, and yield grants in perpetuity. This means they will support good works eternally.
As Catholics, we are called to use our gifts “as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10) to build God’s kingdom on Earth. In this way, we seek to enter the kingdom of heaven — and attain the promise of eternal life.
Our call to stewardship goes beyond generous giving of our time, treasure, and talent. The U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral Letter on Stewardship says, “as Christian stewards, we receive God’s gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice with others, and return them with increase to the Lord.”
Endowments with a Catholic heart
The essence of endowment is inherently Catholic. But an endowment with the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota (CCF) is especially Catholic because we do everything with a Catholic heart.
CCF invests endowments according to Catholic social teaching. Beyond simply screening investments, we leverage a newer tactic called “impact investing” that yields a fiscal return as well as a positive social impact. One example of this is investing in affordable housing development with CommonBond Communities. We not only get a financial return, we also help to create more housing options for vulnerable populations.
CCF also distributes grants from endowments according to Catholic social teaching. This means that we screen charities to verify that they are fiscally and socially responsible.
CCF manages endowments in perpetuity to ensure they’ll last forever. We do this through an investment strategy designed for steady, balanced growth. We also set a prudent spending policy — currently 4 percent — that provides your favorite charities with a stable grant each year and promotes fund growth to increase giving capacity in the future.
In these ways, you can be sure your gifts will last forever and never be misspent.
Endowments perpetuate the faith
By leveraging the power of endowments, you can live and lead generously, ensuring your Catholic faith and its good works will continue to benefit countless generations to come.