Vista de la Montaña Permanent Endowment Fund
The Permanent Endowment Fund (PEF) of the Vista de la Montaña United Methodist Church was established in 2002 for the purpose of providing members and friends with opportunities to make gifts to the church that will provide lasting financial support and a living memorial. The endowment program is intended to support projects/programs that are not a part of the church’s operating budget.
Gifts to the PEF can be either designated or undesignated. Designated gifts will fall into one of the following categories:
- Missions
- Property
- Scholarship
- General
Distributions from designated categories will not be made until the funds in the category reach $50,000. However, projects in any of the above categories may be supported with undesignated funds.
The donor’s wishes determine the category of the gift. While there are many ways to contribute to the fund, the most popular are a cash donation or a bequest made as part of your will or estate plan.
The endowment funds are invested at Charles Schwab and managed by the Endowment Committee with counsel from a financial consultant at Schwab. Our primary investment strategy is preservation of principal value and the purchasing power of assets in relation to market inflation and deflation. Schwab provides monthly financial statements to the Endowment Committee detailing earnings and contributions. There are no management expenses imposed by Schwab for the endowment account. A portion of the annualized net return is available for distribution.
The Permanent Endowment Fund makes distributions in any given year based on the average net earnings from the previous three years. A grant procedure and form are used to define the project and estimate the cost. The grant request is reviewed by the Endowment Committee with final approval from the Church Council.