Building Legacies

Generous donors have the opportunity to establish one or more types of charitable funds. The most popular and flexible of these is a charitable savings account or Donor Advised Fund. CFA’s impermanent Donor Advised Funds are easy to establish and contributions to these funds, in any amount, are tax deductible. Donors use these funds to direct grants to 501c3 public nonprofits, churches and schools, and CFA manages all of the paperwork for you. Establishing gifts and fund balances are never public, not even to the CFA Board of Directors, and the funds can benefit from the appreciation of its invested dollars.

At any time or as part of a succession plan, donors can transition to other permanent named funds. Such permanent named funds include Scholarship Funds; Designated Funds allocated for particular churches, schools or nonprofits; or Fields of Interest Funds that benefit particular causes or a particular parish. This is a powerful tool to build one’s legacy and memorialize or honor parents, grandparents and others. “I want my life’s work to benefit others,” said one generous donor.

Improving Communities

CFA’s primary service area includes the eight (8) Acadiana parishes of Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion. CFA grows and enhances philanthropy throughout this region. CFA’s most prominent civic leadership endeavors include the establishment of the Evangeline Foundation, Iberia Foundation, St. Landry Foundation, St. Mary Foundation and Vermilion Foundation, all of which are affiliate foundations of CFA. Community leaders and philanthropists in Acadia, Lafayette and St. Martin are working to establish affiliate foundations for the benefit of their respective parishes.

Connecting Generous People

Since its inception in 2000, CFA has attained two significant milestones. Over the past two decades, CFA has realized cumulative gifts exceeding $336 million and has made cumulative grants of more than $174 million. The Foundation was recognized among the Top 100 community foundations in both 2012 and 2013.

Foundation Leadership

Community Foundation of Acadiana’s Board of Directors consists of individuals that can reside in and represent each of the eight parishes of its primary service area in Acadiana including Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion. CFA seeks Directors with integrity and a variety of perspectives, opinions and experiences who are capable and committed to the Foundation’s core purpose of building legacies and improving communities by connecting generous people to the cause they care about.