What can be achieved in just five short years

News From CCF-LA | October 22, 2020

Message from Archbishop José H. Gomez

My friends,

This long year of the coronavirus pandemic continues. But in all the sadness, fear, and uncertainty, I see so many signs of hope in the generous response of our Catholic people, who have opened their hearts to serve the suffering and struggling.

And, in these months, I think we have all seen very clearly the vital importance of the Catholic Community Foundation of Los Angeles.

This year, the foundation made 129 grants, totaling nearly $34 million, that helped more than 100 local charitable organizations provide urgent assistance to our neediest neighbors.

It was beautiful to see, and this is why we founded CCF-LA five years ago.

In these past five years, the foundation has become everything I had hoped it would become and more. CCF-LA is a very successful investment vehicle, but, more than that, it has become an important part of our Catholic mission in Los Angeles, helping philanthropists to identify needs in the community and ways they can make a difference.

As we celebrate this anniversary, I want to express my gratitude to the board and staff and all the many people who have entrusted their charitable giving to the foundation.

I entrust all of you and your families and the continued mission of CCF-LA to the Immaculate Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary. And I pray that God grants you peace!

What can be achieved in just five short years...

How could we have known five years ago what could be accomplished with a determined board, a small staff who believed in our mission, and the faith of the clients who entrusted us with their charitable assets. We opened our doors and took in our first business in March 2015.

After the boards of two large Catholic entities agreed to let us manage some of their endowments, we had a base and a beginning to form our business operations. I love to tell the story about how one pioneer client sent us $1.5 million to figure it out. He said, make your mistakes on me—learn how to do donor-advised funds, make grants, issue statements, process stock gifts, and deliver quality services.

We built our strategic plan and had to hire staff, find a payroll service, buy insurance, write documents for charitable funds, find office space, set up secure office operations, build a website, create a file-management system, write corporate policies and procedures, develop the governance structure, and market our services. It was a daunting challenge. I fondly remember one of our college interns was asked if she knew Excel, which she did, so she was immediately tasked with creating the spreadsheet that became our first budget forecast. Now that’s worth more than an MBA!

As we grew, one thing was consistent, and that was the dedication of our staff to providing the highest levels of client services. As one of our board members advised, get it right from the beginning, like a restaurant—if the food and service are bad, they’ll never come back. We’ve taken those words to heart in how we treat our clients and how we work hard as a team to achieve the goals and the high standards we set for CCF-LA.

With gratitude to all who have made this possible,

Kathy Anderson, President and Executive Director

September Investment Results From CCF-LA

CCF-LA has posted monthly and YTD results in the managed pooled funds for September 2020. Both the Balanced Pool and the Intermediate Fund remained positive for the year at 3.08 percent and 3.19 percent, respectively. However, for the month the BP lost 2.32 percent against a -2.43 percent benchmark, while the IF lost 1.03 percent against a bench of -1.12 percent.

In general, U.S. equities declined in September for the first negative month since March, largely due to uncertainty around the upcoming election and ongoing efforts to contain the pandemic. Non-U.S. equities continued to lag, and fixed income was mostly flat.

Our Investment Committee and adviser monitor our funds and performance. If you have questions regarding CCF-LA investment portfolios, please contact us via email or call (213) 426-1187.

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world."

– Desmond Tutu

Featured Beneficiary: Catholic Charities

The Long Beach Community Center in Catholic Charities’ San Pedro region collaborates with various public and private partner organizations working together to promote self-sufficiency and rebuild the lives of those experiencing homelessness. Annually, the Long Beach Community Center averages 18,000 client visits, making this facility the primary point of entry for persons seeking assistance in the region.

A client of the center, Angelica lives in Long Beach with her husband and three children. Her husband was laid off due to COVID-19 and has been struggling to find work. Angelica was babysitting before the pandemic but experienced a decline in that business shortly after the pandemic hit. She said her family had to reduce expenses. They were barely able to keep food on the table. Read more here.

Voices of CCF-LA

CEF Offers Thanks to Donors in Virtual Event

The Catholic Education Foundation converted its annual donor appreciation into a virtual event, hearing from CEF schools and students as well as welcoming new board members. Read more here.

The Paulist Fathers Put on a

Coast-to-Coast Virtual Groundbreaking

The Paulist Fathers held a Virtual Groundbreaking Ceremony for their new seminary building, the House of Mission and Studies, in Washington D.C. The virtual event, which had over 400 viewers, was filled with entertainment, gratitude, and hope for the future! Read more here.

Silver Linings in a Pandemic

The CCF-LA staff shares their "Silver Linings" of the past few months of working from home — the unexpected joys of connecting with family near and far, cooking new things, and a different pace of life. Read more here.

Upcoming Virtual Events:

We're excited to support and attend these upcoming virtual events in our Catholic Community: Vision of Hope, Assumption Catholic School, St. Francis Center, Right to Life League, and St. Ann's Center.

Personalized Giving With Your DAF

As we celebrate many life events and the upcoming Christmas season in new and creative ways, our CCF-LA Donor-Advised Fund clients also have a unique way to celebrate their giving. Our staff can set up personalized giving links for your DAF to send to your family and friends. Encouraging friends to give to charity through your DAF in lieu of tangible gifts is a wonderful way to celebrate your birthday, special event, or the Christmas season. Contact the Development Team via email or call (213) 426-1187 for more information.

CCF-LA Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary

This year, we're celebrating the 5th Anniversary of the Catholic Community Foundation of Los Angeles!

We began with the vision of Archbishop José H. Gomez and have quickly grown to become one of the largest Catholic community foundations in the country, with over $383 million in assets under management today and having issued $212 million in grants since inception!

In honor of this occasion, we are are proud to make the first grant from our Catholic Community Endowment to St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, in honor of Thomas and Dorothy Leavey.