For Financial Advisors

Partner with us to help your clients establish their Catholic legacy.

You have clients who wish to support their favorite parish, Catholic school, or ministry in a meaningful, long-lasting, way. The Catholic Foundation of Northwest Pennsylvania provides a way for them to do exactly that.

• The Catholic Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) public charity. We connect donors to the Catholic ministries they are passionate about and provide a path to enable them to establish their Catholic legacy.
• Legal Name: The Catholic Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, Inc. DBA Catholic Foundation of Northwest Pennsylvania
• Tax ID Number: 26-0725989

Promoting philanthropy can help you help your clients fulfill their philanthropic goals and leave a lasting legacy. Introduce your estate planning and financial planning clients to the benefits of the Catholic Foundation of Northwest Pennsylvania. We are:

Distinctly Catholic.

It is more than our religious beliefs that bring us together in our Catholic faith. It’s also our shared principles — our unique set of ethics and values — that truly define us as Catholics and guide our spiritual journey. Those same principles are the guidepost for everything we do at the Catholic Foundation — from identifying ways to better support our Catholic mission and ministries, to choosing socially responsible investments that align with our core Catholic ideals. From stewarding donors’ charitable gifts of any size, to honoring donor intent. From distributing funds to sustain the Catholic church, to assisting Catholic parishes, schools and ministries in meeting their long-term financial needs.

Trusted.

At the very heart of any philanthropic gift lies an inherent element of trust. Trust in the ethical stewardship of that gift — honoring and protecting the donor’s original intent — in perpetuity. The Catholic Foundation works to earn and maintain the confidence of donors and constituents throughout the diocese by building solid partnerships in support of the mission and ministries of the Church.

Independent.

We are an independent charitable organization in service to the Catholic community of northwest Pennsylvania, governed by a dedicated board of directors comprised of Catholic lay men and women from throughout the diocese.

Forever.

A gift to the Catholic Foundation is forever. Not only does it create an immediate impact in support of our Catholic values today, it also ensures that the impact — as well as the donor’s Catholic legacy — lives on in perpetuity to benefit people for generations.

Advantages of Establishing a Designated Endowment

• Your clients’ Catholic legacy will strengthen the ministry of their choice now and forever.
• Donors’ funds will be used exactly as they intend, according to their signed agreement.
• Effective investment management is provided by our dedicated board of directors, their investment committee and investment managers, PNC and Northwest.
  • The board of directors is comprised of dedicated Catholic lay men and women from throughout the diocese.
  • The investment committee of the Board of Directors is comprised of highly qualified lay persons with related professional experience. They are guided by socially responsible and market-competitive principles and meet quarterly to appraise fund managers, review investment policies and plan portfolio strategies.
  • Investment managers, PNC and Northwest, screen all investments according to the Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
• Designated endowments are listed in promotional materials, helping your clients honor and memorialize a loved one’s name(s).
• Endowments can be built with gifts of any amount at any time. Gifts of stock, beneficiary designations and planned gifts can be used. Others can contribute to an endowment that your client establishes.

A minimum of $10,000 is required to establish an endowment.