DONATE | DONOR PORTAL | EVENTS | BLOG

Individuals & Families

Generosity that lasts for generations.

At the Mankato Area Foundation, we help individuals and families make a meaningful impact—now and for the future. Whether you’re looking to establish a charitable legacy, support causes close to your heart, or involve your children in philanthropy, we offer flexible giving options to align with your values and financial goals.

Personalized Giving, Made Simple

With MAF, you don’t need to navigate the complexities of private foundations to make a difference. We offer donor-advised, designated, and unrestricted funds, allowing you to give in a way that fits your vision. Our team works closely with you to develop a strategy that supports the organizations and causes you care about most.

The Benefits of Giving Through MAF

  • Ease & Simplicity
    We handle the administrative details so you can focus on what matters—giving back. Whether you want to support nonprofits or create a family legacy, we make philanthropy effortless.
  • Tax Advantages
    Maximize the impact of your generosity with significant tax benefits—gifts to MAF receive the highest allowable deductions for income, gift, and estate tax purposes.
  • Flexible Giving Options
    Your gift can take many forms—cash, stock, land, grain, or other assets. We’ll work with you and your financial advisor to design a giving plan that meets your needs today and leaves a lasting legacy for future generations.

Start your giving journey today.

Your generosity has the power to shape lives and strengthen communities. Contact us to explore how MAF can help you create a legacy of giving that reflects your values and goals.

DONOR ADVISED FUNDS

Generosity. For Good.

A Donor Advised Fund is an effective tool for charitable giving that provides benefits similar to a private or family foundation without the hassles. Donor Advised Funds minimize the worries and administrative burdens of grantmaking, so you can put your time and energy into what really matters: making a meaningful impact on the community, organizations and causes you value.

Learn More

Fund Types

Community foundations are a creative and flexible means for community-based philanthropy. Donors who want to give back to “Main Street” have a myriad of options. The role of the Mankato Area Foundation is to assist donors in structuring their gifts so both the donor and the community benefit from their charitable generosity.

Unrestricted Fund
Through a gift to our Unrestricted Fund, donors are helping to ensure there will be resources tomorrow for needs we can’t even imagine today. We use our unrestricted funds to support the work of the Mankato Area Foundation while addressing current community needs and investing in local nonprofit organizations.
Designated Fund
Through a Designated Fund, you create an enduring source of support for specific organizations and programs you care about, specified at the time of the gift.You choose the projects or purposes to benefit from your generosity, and we invest and distribute funds in the form of grants.
Donor Advised Fund
Through a Donor Advised Fund, you can have a voice in your philanthropy and receive benefits similar to a personal or family foundation without the administrative responsibilities. Donor Advised Funds are convenient, flexible tools for individuals, families or businesses that want to be personally involved in recommending grants made possible by their gifts. If you have a range of community interests, you may find that donor advised funds are an ideal vehicle for fulfilling your charitable wishes.

Learn More

Download Donor Advised Funds Brochure
Scholarship Fund
Through a Scholarship Fund, you create a legacy of helping individuals achieve their potential by supporting their educational goals. You have the ability to establish a scholarship fund to benefit students of a particular school, geographic region, educational discipline, gender or other designation.
Agency Fund
Through an Agency Fund, your nonprofit organization has the opportunity to create a fund that generates investment income, year after year, which can be granted back to the agency, or reinvested in the fund to grow over time at the discretion of your governing board. Learn More
Equity Partners Fund
Through a gift to our Equity Partners fund, you are supporting the ongoing sustainability of the Foundation. The resources from this fund help to enhance our ability to serve donors and the community.

Planned Giving

The Mankato Area Foundation offers a wide range of planned giving/deferred gift options such as bequests, charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities and charitable lead trusts. We will work with financial advisors to garner the best tax advantages and financial security while carrying on the donors legacy of giving. To learn more about Planned Giving, click here.

What to Give

The Mankato Area Foundation knows the issues facing our community and we’re committed to shaping it for good. As a local partner for over 50 years, we’re here to help you create a giving program that works for you, your assets, your wishes and your goals.

There are many ways to give to the Foundation. You can contribute a variety of assets such as:

  • Assets of other Trusts or of a Private Foundation
  • Cash Gifts
  • Grain and other Cash Crops
  • Farmland
  • Life Insurance
  • Mutual Funds
  • Real Estate
  • Stocks and Securities

Work with our MAF team to find the right fit for you.

Learn how you can start to make an impact today.

 

For more information, please contact Nancy.

Who We Are


Since 1974, the Mankato Area Foundation has been dedicated to building a community of individuals that believe in the strength of giving. We continue today to shape Greater Mankato through connecting acts of giving with our community’s needs.

Location

Shared Spaces Philanthropy Center
212 E Walnut Street, Suite 1
Mankato, MN 56001
507-389-4583
[email protected]

Newsletter

Subscribe



Confirmed in Compliance with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations