The purpose of the Poudre Wilderness Endowment Fund ("Fund") is to provide a stable, predictable, and ongoing funding for supporting: a) new PWV programs and initiatives and b) a portion of PWV’s annual operating costs via earnings (not principal) of the fund.

The Poudre Wilderness Volunteers Fund Development Committee ("Committee") is constituted to recognize and administer gifts to the Fund.

Generally, the principal of gifts and contributions made to the Fund remain in the Fund and distributions of income are made to support PWV, primarily by enhancing or improving on the activities performed by PWV.

Contributions

Assets of the Fund may include contributions from various sources directed specifically to the Fund by the donor or designated by the Board for inclusion in the Fund. Examples include current donations directed to the Fund, donations given in memory of a person, directed to a memorial fund, or given by will, trust, gift annuity, or similar bequest. Contributions are preferred to be unrestricted, but if restricted, a $10,000 minimum must be met. Any Restricted Endowed Funds need to be approved by both the Committee and the Board.

Investment Objectives

The Fund is a long term investment. The Committee will seek preservation of the Fund’s principal and provide for dependable and reasonable rate of return, with low to moderate investment risk.

Distributions from Fund

No distributions will be made from the Fund until the unrestricted Fund account balance reaches $50,000. Thereafter, up to 66% of the net earnings of the unrestricted Fund, valued as of Dec 31, may be distributed by the Committee. The remaining 33% of net earnings will be added to the principal to off-set inflation. At no time will the unrestricted Fund balance be reduced through such distributions to a level below $50,000. Exception: Board declares financial exigency. Then 10% of the Fund may be used for up to 2 years to preserve the organization. Restricted Fund distribution will be according to the terms generally defined by the donor. (Note: only earnings will be distributed.)

Endowment Fund Grant Requests

The annual granting process will involve the following steps: Announcement of the availability of grant funding. Distribution of grant request forms. Grant application review and approval. Grant applications can be made by individual PWV members, recognized PWV committees, or the Board. If approved by the Board, distributions will be made available as soon as possible thereafter.
Your donation will be acknowledged promptly by letter. If you wish, your donation will also be added to the on-line PWV Endowment Fund Wilderness Wall.

Questions? Contact Tom Collins - Phone 314-662-0577, Email donations@pwv.org