Community
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Designated For Capital Funds Help Build Momentum for Community Movements in Pierce County
Oasis Youth Center Staff ready welcome youth to Check-In night
“Designated for Capital Funds are designed to fill various gaps and needs that community movements face.”
Staff and volunteers at Oasis Youth Center were all smiles as they prepared to host their Check-In program, a peer-to-peer discussion where LGBTQ+ youth gather to talk about their week and what’s going on in the world. Check-In is Oasis’s longest running program, one they’ve hosted every week for the past 39 years. Seeing the smiles tonight, it’s hard to believe that tradition nearly came to an end last Fall.
“We had a signed fiscal sponsorship agreement with another organization since 2014, and their responsibility was to account for our funds and keep them separated from their agency’s funds. In order to solve a cash flow issue where they were getting delayed reimbursements from the Department of Health, they used our money to cover their gaps.”
“We were facing impending closure because we didn’t have any money to operate,” explained Executive Director, Matthew Wilson. “We were really taking it week by week.”
Oasis Youth Center volunteers preparing dinner
This situation led to a significant loss of funds for Oasis, and the eventual dissolution of the organization they had been partnering with. It also left Oasis without a fiscal sponsorship, which meant they didn’t have the financial infrastructure of a bank account or payroll system to support their day-to-day operations, or the 501(c)(3) status to be able to accept incoming donations or government funding.
“Having the traditional structures like that makes doing the work easier and so we’re really grateful that GTCF provided that transition for us so that we could focus on what was important, which was serving the youth.”
Oasis Youth Center staff member talking with youth
Matthew and his team at Oasis began the process of attaining 501(c)(3) status, but that process can take several months or more. Looking for a creative solution that would allow them to accept donations and keep the doors open in the interim, they reached out to GTCF. “We’ve worked with GTCF in the past through Youth Program Quality training and with the 2020 Census, so we’ve had a long-standing partnership with them,” Matthew explained. One solution GTCF offered was for Oasis to open a Designated For Capital Fund.
Designated For Capital Funds provide fiscal support for community movements over a set period of time, usually 12-18 months. Stacey Guadnola, GTCF Chief Philanthropy Officer explained how it works. “When an organization or community group opens a Designated for Capital Fund, it becomes a component fund of GTCF, so we can accept charitable gifts made to that fund, then make grants from the fund to pay for invoices and costs associated with the designated charitable purpose.”
For Oasis, opening a Designated for Capital Fund at GTCF allowed them to accept donations that would support their general operations while they went through the process of setting up their own 501(c)(3). Matthew described how “GTCF was able to issue checks [from the fund] to pay some of our bills until we could get a bank account and that was that was a huge help. Having the traditional structures like that makes doing the work easier and so we’re really grateful that GTCF provided that transition for us so that we could focus on what was important, which was serving the youth.”
A few members of the Oasis Youth Center Staff and Intern Team
Designated for Capital funds can also support community projects that require philanthropic support. Peninsula Metropolitan Parks District (PenMet Parks), a government agency that manages 22 public parks and properties in unincorporated areas of the Gig Harbor Peninsula, opened a Designated for Capital Fund to help with their first ever capital campaign to build a much-needed indoor recreation center.
“We are very good at delivering parks and recreation services to our community. And we are hyper-focused on our mission and our vision. So, it is so effective for us to be able to fully focus on that and have GTCF’s expertise on this Designated for Capital Fund.”
Executive Director Ally Bujacich & Director of Development Tracy Stirrett at the site of PenMet Parks new Recreation Center
As PenMet Executive Director, Ally Bujacich noted, “We started to see a growing need when it comes to facilities for sports, especially youth sports. There is a very high demand in our community for fields. People are playing late into the night, odd hours, you’re sometimes asking a kid to go to a practice at 8 or 9 o’clock at night and then get up and go to the school the next day.”
The new recreation center will feature an indoor turf field, an outdoor field, 3 indoor courts striped for basketball volleyball and 9 pickleball courts. It will also have a walking track, and a path that connects to the Cushman Trail. Ally was quick to point out, however, that the 65,000 square-foot space is for more than just sports. “It’s going to better position us to partner with community agencies and jointly provide services for our community. It’s not just for athletes or youth, it’s for everyone and it’s designed to be flexible, active, and alive.”
90% of the recreation center is covered through public funding. PenMet is raising funds for the last 10% so they can complete the project while maintaining normal operations of other parks and properties. Ally sees opening the Designated for Capital Fund at GTCF as a strategic move that helps them fulfill their mission while they build.
“We are hyper-focused on our mission to enhance the quality of life by providing parks and recreation opportunities. It is so effective for us to be able to fully focus on delivering these critical services and have GTCF’s expertise on this Designated for Capital Fund.”
“…it’s the foundation that we’re setting for this next generation and for these relationships to evolve. We know this is just the beginning.”
The Designated for Capital Fund provides PenMet Parks an account and back-office support to be able to accept donations and pay for invoices related to the building project. “The process becomes very smooth for donors as their gift is going directly to a Designated for Capital Fund (PenMet Parks RC Campaign Fund) at Greater Tacoma Community Foundation.”
Seniors from the Peninsula Community gather to play Mah Jongg
Tracy Stirrett, PenMet’s Director of Development, sees the most important opportunity as building lasting community partnerships. “The partners that are joining us are going to be with us as community partners for years…It’ll be nice to reach the goal, but more importantly, it’s the foundation that we’re setting for this next generation and for these relationships to evolve. We know this is just the beginning.”
As Seth Kirby, GTCF Chief Impact Officer explains, “Designated for Capital Funds are designed to fill various gaps and needs that community movements face. It’s something that goes beyond grants and helps build momentum for important work that makes a positive difference in Pierce County.”
Back at Oasis Youth Center, Matthew and his team are now operating with their own official 501(c)(3) status. Not only can they fundraise and take care of organizational needs, but they can continue to host their weekly Check-ins and other programming that supports youth in Pierce County.
“Just seeing the community come together and our staff team come together, I think, has sent a really affirming message to the youth and community that that they matter, and that Oasis matters, and that being a part of Oasis is something important. It’s a movement.”
RESOURCES
Oasis Youth Center
PenMet Parks Recreation Center Project
To learn more about how a Designated for Capital fund could catalyze your community movement, contact Philanthropy Services.