Modification of the Christopher Fund in the United States

WHEREAS, the Christopher Fund was established by Resolution No. 134, which was adopted by the delegates to the 110th Supreme Council Meeting in 1992, on the occasion of the quincentennial of the first voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Americas; and

WHEREAS, the intention of the Christopher Fund was to create a vehicle by which the Supreme Council could invest matching funds to support charitable programs undertaken by state councils in the Order’s insurance territories (the United States and Canada), while also offering to participating state councils the opportunity to benefit from the expertise of the Supreme Council in investing according to Catholic values; and

WHEREAS, participating state councils have been eligible to have their contributions to the Christopher Fund matched, dollar for dollar, up to $5.00 per member, creating a corpus in the Christopher Fund earmarked to benefit the state council’s chosen charity or charities through the annual contribution of the earnings generated by the portion of the Christopher Fund contributed by that state council and the corresponding match by the Supreme Council; and

WHEREAS, in 2018, the “Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund” (KCCF) was launched, which offers a donor-advised fund (DAF) program in the United States to provide individuals, families, organizations, and Knights of Columbus councils a convenient tool to manage their charitable assets through Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors mutual funds, in accordance with the investment guidelines of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; and

WHEREAS, a DAF would afford state councils enhanced flexibility in managing the investment allocation of their charitable funds and in making a contribution at any time to a public charity that is recognized by the IRS under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, provided that the mission of the charity is not inconsistent with Catholic Social Teaching.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that each United States state council be afforded the opportunity to continue to participate in the Christopher Fund, including receipt of annual benefits derived from the Supreme Council’s matching funds, through a KCCF donor-advised fund, according to rules that will be set by the Board of Directors; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Canadian Christopher Fund, which exists within Knights of Columbus Canada Charities, Inc., shall continue to operate as originally established, since Canadian law does not recognize donor-advised funds as charitable giving vehicles.

Modification of the Christopher Fund in the United States

Resolutions