Roger and Roxanne Tuttle started their Tuttle Family Donor Advised Fund with New Braunfels Community Foundation in March 2021. In just a little more than a year, they have been able to make several grants from the fund to help those near and dear to their hearts – children.
An April 2021, a grant to New Braunfels Angels went toward funding for a cranial helmet for a four-month-old boy. New Braunfels Angels provides support for children in foster care.
Another grant went toward helping a family registered with Any Baby Can, a nonprofit serving families with children. The mission of Any Baby Can is to serve families with children and youth facing serious health or developmental challenges.
Grants from the Tuttle Family fund have also been awarded to Shriners Hospitals for Children, First Footing (NB Homeless) Shelter and Communities in Schools of South Central Texas for expanding its program into local elementary schools.
Roger and Roxanne liked the idea of giving back to the causes that matter to them most. They wanted to share that joy by creating a grant advisors committee.
Roger, a founding member of the New Braunfels Community Foundation and owner of Great American Products, had been aware of two other fund holders – Alan and Suzanne Stahlman – who created a giving committee for their donor advised fund. Roger was able to sit in on a meeting of the Stahlman Fund Grant Advisors Committee and observe the process.
“I liked the idea and everything about the process, so we decided to adopt this concept for our company as well. It is pleasing to see the individual advisors go through the research process while connecting with the causes and community and have ownership of the donations,” Roger explained. “In some cases, the same charity may be selected by different advisors, which is fine that more than one person feels strongly about that cause. As advisors, they are making their own decisions and sharing information with other advisors, which expands the general knowledge of the charities and unity in the community. The selected advisors work for our company and contribute to making profits. As advisors they have first-hand experience with the good that comes from people working together for a common cause.”
Each year, members of the Tuttle Family Donor Advised Fund grants committee will be able to recommend qualified nonprofits as recipients of grants from the fund.
Alan Stahlman said the grants committee process was not only a fun way to give back, but also provided a way to learn about community needs and the works of area nonprofits. Thanks to the 10 members of the Stahlman fund grant advisors committee, Alan continues to learn about several nonprofits he was previously unaware of and how they serve those in need.
“It has worked so well that my wife and I have more than tripled what we give each year to charity,” Alan said.
NBCF currently has 53 Donor Advised Funds. A grand total of $3.8 million has been granted to the community from these funds. NBCF offers other types of funds as well, including Scholarship, Field of Interest and Designated funds. The NBCF mission is to connect people who care with the causes that matter most to them for the enduring benefit of the community.