Endowment Fund

Grace Avenue is a multiple site church with campuses in Frisco and Prosper. The Permanent Endowment Fund was created in 2017 as Grace Avenue looked to the future not only for its current congregations, but for those individuals and families we haven’t yet met or embraced. The Endowment Fund serves all Grace Avenue congregations, including those that may be established in the future, and has been built by the gifts of faithful church members to strengthen the work of the church. These donors recognized the opportunity to give a gift that keeps giving, because investment returns magnify the impact of original gifts. Just as annual stewardship giving is a chance to return to God a portion of our annual income, contributions to the endowment provide a means to share the accumulated gifts which God has given us as durable support for Grace Avenue’s ministry.

The mission of the Permanent Endowment Fund is to provide members and friends the opportunity to make charitable gifts to Grace Avenue that will become a part of the financial support and a living memorial, not associated with the operating or capital budget process of the church. Gifts to the church may be received and used to carry out the Christian ministry and mission of Grace Avenue United Methodist Church.

As grace increases to benefit more and more people, it will cause gratitude to increase, which results in God’s glory.

Stories from our Members

Income distributions to the Permanent Endowment will be made through a grant process, managed by the Endowment Committee, and confirmed by church leadership. A contribution to the fund is a gift that keeps on giving. You might call it a “perpetual pledge.” Even beyond your lifetime, earnings from your Legacy Gifts are spent to complement and support the vision of Grace Avenue and its mission to “eradicate homelessness in whatever form it presents itself.” The Endowment Fund will not be used for ongoing expenses of the church, but for special non-budgeted opportunities for mission work in the following areas:

  • Supports all the causes that make up the vision of Grace Avenue.
  • Supports the needs of our church’s ministries as we continue to open our church to create a community of faith.
  • Focuses on easing the suffering of people experiencing emotional and/or psychological needs.
  • Supports not only rebuilding structures and providing homes, but also supplies and donates to individuals and groups that assist in relief for natural disasters and untimely accidents.

As it grows, the Permanent Endowment Fund of Grace Avenue will provide our congregation with a perpetual source of income in support of the church’s ministries and missions. The Permanent Endowment Fund provides a way that we each can leave a lasting impact – a Legacy Gift that will support Grace Avenue’s mission for future generations.

FAQ’s

Our Endowment Fund is a permanent fund and only its earnings will be spent. When funds are available and distributed, they will support one of the funds that you have designated.

Specially designated gifts are a great way to show others how much you care about them and your congregation. These can include: Memorial gift in remembrance of a family member or church member. Tribute gifts recognize special occasions such as anniversaries, achievements, retirements, baptisms, promotions, confirmations, or graduations.


A planned gift to the church is a financial gift structured to serve the needs of the church as well as the giver, such as:

  • Charitable gift annuities, which provide payments for life, tax benefits and ultimately benefit our permanent endowment fund.
  • Gifts through wills, also known as bequests.
  • Charitable remainder and charitable lead trusts to support our Permanent Endowment Fund.

There are many types of gifts that could benefit our Permanent Endowment Fund. Examples include cash, real estate, personal property, stocks and bonds, life insurance, planned gifts.

Because gifts are merged together in the fund, they have a cumulative effect making even the smallest gift significant. Every gift contributes to the overall growth of the principal amount, which compounds the return on investment.

The Permanent Endowment Fund Committee oversees the distribution and monitoring of funds.

Yes. Your gifts to the Grace Avenue United Methodist Church Permanent Endowment Fund are deductible for federal income tax purposes. Bequests, life income gifts, and other donations of value are generally exempt from federal estate and gift taxes.

The Endowment Fund Committee

The Endowment Fund is managed by a ten person committee hand selected by church leadership. Our endowment fund investments are managed by the Texas Methodist Foundation. You can learn more about TMF at texasmethodistfoundation.org.

Guided by Scripture and the written by-laws and policies of the Endowment Fund, the committee seeks to make investments that will protect the principal of the fund and produce income at a reasonable rate. Each year the Endowment Fund Committee will review the return on the past year’s investments, decide how much to keep for continued growth of the fund, and how much would be available for projects to support the vision of Grace Avenue and its mission to “eradicate homelessness in whatever forms it presents itself.” The Endowment Fund will not be used for ongoing expenses of the congregation, but for special non-budgeted opportunities for mission work in our four specified funds.

Requesting an Endowment Fund Grant

Members of the congregation are invited to submit requests for funding from the Endowment Fund. All requests for the calendar year must be submitted via the grant request form – contact finance@graceavenue.org to request a copy of the form. Requests should be completed by the individual or church ministry group seeking project funds. The Endowment Fund Committee will review all requests and award grants based upon the Endowment Fund Committee bylaws.

download the endowment brochure