Commonly Asked Questions

To establish a Charitable Fund Account with Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, you will need to complete the Charitable Fund Account Establishment Form.

We encourage you to contact us to discuss your charitable intentions and ensure we can assist you throughout the establishment process.

Individuals, businesses, trusts, estates and local councils can establish a Charitable Fund Account.

It generally takes about three business days to set up your Charitable Fund Account from the time you have submitted your establishment form, along with your initial donation.

Grants made to Eligible Charities from Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation will be attributed to your Charitable Fund Account and acknowledged as the name of your Charitable Fund Account. You may however request anonymity.

Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation partners with many professional advisers, including investment advisers, accountants, financial planners and legal advisers. We provide advice and resources to help advisers plan their clients’ philanthropic giving strategies. We can provide a wide range of advice about philanthropy and the charitable sector.

If you no longer wish to manage your own PAF or there is no succession plan in place, you can apply to the Commissioner of Taxation to transfer the full net assets of your PAF to become a Charitable Fund Account, provided certain conditions are met. This will mean Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation will take over the compliance, administration and investment activity, while still allowing you to provide recommendations on grantmaking. We recommend you seek professional advice and contact us to talk through your objectives.

For larger PAFs, the Foundation will consider taking on the trustee role. Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation may also act as the trustee of a new PAF. Again, please contact us to talk over your philanthropic goals if you are considering establishing a PAF.

You can establish a Charitable Fund Account with an initial donation of $2,000 or more, with the commitment of growing the fund over time. Your account needs to grow to $10,000 before charitable distributions can be made.

Yes, you can donate assets such as shares or real estate to your Charitable Fund Account.

Yes, your family and friends can make tax-deductible contributions to your Charitable Fund Account. They will be provided with the option to remain anonymous should they choose, which means the Foundation will not disclose their name and donation amount to you as the Charitable Fund Account holder. The person making the donation will receive the tax-deductible donation receipt.

Yes, please view our Fundraising Guidelines and forms that will assist you with your fundraising initiative. It is important to seek approval from Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation for any fundraising initiatives you intend to undertake on behalf of our Foundation.

The nature of the tax deductible status of the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Fund means that your donations, once made, become the property of the Foundation and cannot be refunded.

Yes, donations are tax-deductible. You can also elect to spread the deduction over a period of up to five years.

Yes, we will issue tax-deductible receipts for the value of your initial donation and your additional donations. Many Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation donors add to their Charitable Fund Account each year.

Each financial year, we determine a total amount to be distributed from the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Fund (the Fund Distribution). The Public Ancillary Fund Guidelines 2011 (amended in 2016) require the Foundation to distribute at least 4% of the net value of the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Fund each financial year.

Grants from the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Fund can only be made to Eligible Charities that are endorsed by the ATO as Tax Concession Charities and have DGR Item 1 status.

Under the provisions of the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation Act 2017 (Vic), Eligible Charities funded from the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Fund must also be established or operating within Victoria.

The Foundation may make grants to charities more broadly from other bequest funds not held in the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Fund.

Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation is an Australian registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). Each year, the Foundation reports on its activities and granting from the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Fund (a public ancillary fund) and other bequest funds to the ACNC.

The Foundation also reports to the Federal Treasury under the Public Ancillary Fund Guidelines 2011 (amended in 2016) in respect of the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Fund.

To comply with charity law and tax regulations, the trustee of the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Fund has the ultimate discretion to determine which Eligible Charities will benefit from each Charitable Fund Account. Donors’ recommendations are always considered but the Board is not required to follow a donor’s recommendation. The Foundation endeavours to monitor recommended charities for reputational or financial risk.

Once the balance of your Charitable Fund Account reaches $10,000, you must designate at least 10% of your granting allocation towards the strategic grantmaking program of your chosen Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation Impact Area/s. This will ensure that your Charitable Fund Account is taking full advantage of the Foundation’s granting expertise and addressing priority community needs across greater Melbourne.

If your Charitable Fund Account balance is $10,000 or more at 30 June in the most recent financial year, you may also recommend Eligible Charities to receive grants from the Charitable Fund Account’s annual Granting Allocation. The Foundation advises limiting the number of Eligible Charities you would like to support to maximise the impact of your grants.

Yes, our experienced Program Managers can work with you to identify charitable organisations that are working to address community needs aligned with the strategic priorities of the Foundation’s Impact Areas. You can also join with the Foundation by co-funding a project that is being supported by the Foundation through its grants program.

Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation will provide you with an annual statement after the end of financial year, detailing the investment value, administration fees and grants attributed to your Charitable Fund Account, within the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Fund.

If you have any questions, you can contact us at any time.

Yes, Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation will continue to manage the Charitable Fund Account as your philanthropic legacy. From time to time, a donor may wish to nominate a successor to make grant recommendations in the case of your death or in the event you experience mental incapacity or other legal disability. We will require your successor nominee to sign an acknowledgement.

Yes, you can nominate your Charitable Fund Account to receive a bequest. We are excited about continuing to grow a network of passionate donors who share our vision of inspiring philanthropy and sustained social impact. We can assist you with the correct wording to incorporate into your Will. Please contact us for further information.

Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation does not provide legal or tax advice and we recommend that donors consult with their own financial, legal or tax adviser to determine the best strategy for their needs.