The Baptist Foundation of South Carolina has a greater than 55-year history of financially undergirding Baptist churches, associations, ministries, and institutions of the South Carolina Baptist Convention through the establishment of endowments and trusts.  To enhance this objective and as an additional service to the denomination, the Foundation provides professional investment management services for local churches, associations, ministries, and institutions of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.

The Foundation is committed to conducting its business affairs in a manner consistent with the highest Christian moral and ethical standards taught and implied in the Scriptures.  We will not knowingly compromise our Christian witness by investing in a company or activity which operates in opposition to Christian doctrine, morals, or ethics.

The Baptist Foundation of South Carolina is a member in good standing of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), an organization whose purpose is to enunciate, maintain and manifest a code of financial accountability, ethics and reporting which is consistent with enlightened and responsible Christian faith and practice.

Two types of investment accounts are available:

Agency Account- Institutions, agencies, associations, and churches establish Agency Accounts to invest monies that belong to them. 

• Similar to opening an investment account with investment broker or another financial institution

• The money placed in this account belongs to the agency (association, church, institution, etc.) that establishes the account

• The agency engages the Foundation to manage these funds for them

• Three simple investment funds are available from which the agency can choose based on income needs (see INVESTMENT FUNDS)

• The agency may at any time withdraw all or a portion of the balance of the account.

• Checks may be requested from an agency account as often as once a month.

Note:  Many organizations establish agency relationships for designated endowment purposes in lieu of establishing permanent endowment accounts.  The Foundation will distribute annual distribution payments to the beneficiary(ies) designated, just like a regular endowment account.  Establishing an endowment through an agency relationship, however, will allow the organization (agency) to withdraw a portion or all of the principal, if needed.

Endowment Account - An endowment account is established to fund perpetual needs for a church or other ministry.  Typically, endowment accounts are established by individuals, either through a trust or bequest in a Will.  However, institutions, agencies, associations, and churches may establish permanent endowment accounts for specific ministries or causes.  The income from the endowment will perpetually benefit the cause which is chosen to receive annual income while the corpus (original donation and subsequent contributions) stays in the account perpetually.

• Endowment accounts are established to fund permanent needs

• A grantor (an individual or an agency, such as a church, institution, association, etc.) places money in trust with the Foundation

• Funds are permanently set aside to benefit the cause or project the grantor chooses

• The Foundation invests the funds on behalf of the grantor in an appropriate manner as determined by the Foundation

• Once a year, the beneficiary, or beneficiaries, of the account will receive income distributions according to distribution policies established by the Foundation Board of Trustees