Investment Program

The Topeka Community Foundation takes seriously its fiduciary stewardship responsibility. It recognizes that each donation, no matter the size, reflects implicit trust in the Foundation’s ability to invest resources wisely in accordance with the donor’s charitable wishes.

Primary responsibility for managing the Topeka Community Foundation's investment portfolios has been delegated by the Board of Directors to the Asset Management Committee. This committee sets policy, establishes performance benchmarks and continually monitors the performance of the Community Foundation's portfolios against these policies and benchmarks.

Investment Objectives

The Foundation offers its donors two investment options: The Long-term Portfolio and the Short-term portfolio.

Long-term Portfolio

The primary long-term management objectives of the Long-term Portfolio is to preserve the real purchasing power of assets, while providing a predictable, stable and constant (in real terms) stream of earnings.

Preservation of purchasing power by striving for long-term returns that either match or exceed the Foundation’s spending policy, the rate of inflation and investment fees.

The long-term investment objective of the Long-term Portfolio is to earn a rate of return, net of all fees, in excess of a 80% S & P 500 Index/20% Barclays Capital Aggregate Government/Corporate Bond Index benchmark over rolling five and ten-year periods.

Short-term Portfolio

The Short-term Portfolio is designed to provide an investment option for those donors whose primary objective is the preservation of capital. The rate of income credited will vary, reflecting competitive short-term interest rates. It is generally expected that the portfolio rate will be tied to the savings account rate being paid by local banking institutions. The interest income is credited to the donor’s fund on a monthly basis.

Performance Evaluation

The Asset Management Committee meets at least four times a year to review investment results and adherence to investment objectives and guidelines. The work of this committee is overseen by the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

For More Information:

For details about the investment options at the Topeka Community Foundation, contact Foundation President Marsha Pope at pope@topekacommunityfoundation.org or by phone at 785-272-4804.