23 East Airy Street, Norristown, PA 19401  ·   215-627-6434  ·  

The Church Foundation
  • Who We Are
    • About TCF
    • Our People
    • Board of Directors
  • Why TCF?
    • TCF at a Glance
    • Annual Report
    • Our Philosophy
    • TCF Audited Statements
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Consolidated Fund
    • How It Works
    • Quarterly Performance
    • Audited Statements
  • Tools & Resources
    • End-of-Life Planning
    • Gift Clearing
    • News & Announcements
    • Notary Services
    • Participant Forms
    • Planned Giving
    • Resource Library
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  • Next Steps

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the investment philosophy and objectives of The Church Foundation?

The Church Foundation (TCF) is a nonprofit corporation, chartered in 1926, as a service organization for the Diocese of Pennsylvania. TCF serves trustee and investment advisor for assets owned by churches, chapels, missions, and institutions in the diocese. Our primary purpose is to oversee the Consolidated Fund, a balanced portfolio of stocks and bonds, for the diocese and other church-related institutions.

The investment philosophy and objectives of The Church Foundation is to provide the best rate of return for our investors through prudent investments and a distribution payout vehicle to fund mission and ministry. The Church Foundation's Investment Committee and Board of Directors work closely with our Investment Manager, T. Rowe Price, to ensure the preservation and growth of the investments so that our participants have those assets available when needed.

Investors with The Church Foundation are purchasing units or shares in the Consolidated Fund. The Consolidated Fund is a carefully structured array of equities and fixed income instruments designed to meet the investment policy statement guidelines established by The Church Foundation Board of Directors.

What is the Fee Schedule?

The Church Foundation's management fees are reviewed and set annually by the board of directors. For 2020, TCF charges a fee of .29% to cover administrative and operational costs.

Our investment manager, T. Rowe Price, charges about .55%, which are applied net of fees. Total fees are currently at .84%, which is well below TCF's total fees goal of less than or equal to 1%.

How is the distribution amount calculated?

The Church Foundation strives to obtain for investors a cash distribution that supports current operating needs for mission and ministry and honor its fiduciary duty to preserve the future earning power of the investments in all sorts of market conditions.

A distribution spending rate is reviewed and set annually by the board of directors based upon the investment committee's recommendation. Once the spending rate is set, cash distributions are calculated by applying the approved spending rate to the trailing twelve-quarter average of the Consolidated Fund's fair market value as of the end of the previous calendar year. We further determine a cash distribution amount per unit (share) price by dividing the total units in the Consolidated Fund held at the end of the previous calendar year by the total estimated cash distribution amount calculated for the current year.

What is the background and experience of the team, including investment managers?

Lori has been with The Church Foundation since December 2014. She began working with TCF as the Operations Manager and was named the Executive Director by the board of directors on July 1. Lori is am an administrative professional with nearly 30 years of experience and holds a BS in finance. She is currently working on her master's in nonprofit management.

Ryan is a management professional with nearly ten years of experience. He has been with The Church Foundation since late August 2019. Ryan attended Ursinus College and West Chester University, majoring in management and accounting.

T. Rowe Price has been The Church Foundation's investment managers since 2007. The Church Foundation's investment committee takes its role seriously as a fiduciary and keeps a close eye on activity and performance. Overall, the committee is pleased with T. Rowe Price and has no plans to make any adjustments or changes.

SunTrust Bank's Foundation and Endowments Specialty Practice have been The Church Foundation's fund accountant and custodian since 2017.

Are you an actively-managed or passively-managed fund?

Our portfolio is actively managed.

The Church Foundation has generally invested 70% equity and 30% fixed income/debt, and maintains approximately $100,000 in cash to cover non-distribution withdrawals.

Are you invested in anything other than debt and equity securities or funds?

No.

What fund options do you offer?

At this time, the Consolidated Fund, a high quality co-mingled investment portfolio, is the only fund option.

Are you mostly invested in index and mutual funds?

Yes. The quarterly review available on our website list the funds that make up the Consolidated Fund.

What is the diversification within these funds? Large-cap, mid-cap, small-cap. Domestic US vs. International?

The quarterly review shows the asset allocation of the funds within the Consolidated Fund.

Are there any minimum amounts for your funds?

A minimum amount of $2,000 is recommended, although it is not mandatory.

What is your frequency of interaction with your clients? e.g., monthly call plus event-triggered? Do you have non-church clients?

While all investors receive quarterly statements, Ryan and I both are available on-demand. We pride ourselves on being customer service driven and typically provide the same day response to a question or request.

Who can invest in the Consolidated Fund?

The consolidated fund is available to all Episcopal related entities within the Diocese of Pennsylvania.

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Connect with Us

Lori Daniels
Executive Director
215-220-9886 
Lisa Reinhardt
Operations Manager
215-621-8310 

Lori Daniels

Executive Director
215-220-9886 |

Executive Director Lori Daniels stands at The Church Foundation (TCF) 's helm, reporting to the Board of Directors. She oversees and monitors investments to ensure financial integrity and serves the Board in its fiduciary duties as trustee and custodian for assets owned by churches, chapels, missions, and institutions in the Diocese of Pennsylvania. Lori leads business development efforts and fosters professional relationships. Her goal is for every Episcopal entity in the Diocese to establish an endowment with TCF and plans to expand planned giving resources by increasing program education.

Lori joined TCF in 2014 as Operations Specialist, transitioning to Operations Manager. She was promoted to Executive Director in 2019 due to her leadership talents, positive business relationships, and a solid vision for TCF's future. Lori loves people and appreciates the talents of each team member.

Lori has fueled many noteworthy achievements. She oversaw a significant increase in managed assets for 2020, spearheaded rebranding efforts, and collaborated in a diocesan endowments review, leading to increased distribution to fund missions and ministry.

Lori holds a M.S. focused on Management with Nonprofit Specialization as well as a B.S. in Finance and Humanities from the University of Maryland University College. She will continue expanding her expertise in nonprofit management, endowments, and investments. Lori loves to travel, is an avid reader and knitter, and enjoys biking and hiking. Her dream is to live somewhere close to a beach someday.

Lisa Reinhardt

Operations Manager
215-621-8310 |

Our newest member is Lisa Reinhardt, Operations Manager, working closely with our Executive Director to facilitate daily operations. Bringing administrative and organizational talents, Lisa was with the Diocese of Pennsylvania for over 12 years, coming to us from St. James’ Episcopal Church in Collegeville where she served as Director of Parish Operations and Communications.

Lisa’s experience includes co-developing practices that standardize and streamline workflow. She also created an online presence for St. James’ to communicate with parishioners, now a lifeline for remote parishioners. She plans to help create both of these for TCF including periodic newsletters to strengthen relationships with parishioners.

With a flair for graphic design blended with communication skills, Lisa assisted the rector at St. James’ to rebrand and standardize colors, styles, and logos for all ministries used in print, website, social media, and mass emails. She developed a comprehensive manual for all media use now adopted by several other parishes. She hopes to develop a similar standard for TCF.

Aware of the financial stability of a healthy church, Lisa looks forward to learning more. She will strive to achieve over 90% of churches partnering and investing with TCF, while in turn offering each partner valuable assistance in daily procedures, growth, stability and longevity.

Communication is pivotal to a good partnership. Lisa holds a B.S. in Communication Studies and truly values everyone she encounters. She loves to spend quality time with her family and host events for friends. Her favorite summer tradition is traveling with her three daughters to Sea Isle City, New Jersey.

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Why TCF? Annual Report Our Philosophy TCF At A Glance Frequently Asked Questions TCF Audited Statements

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23 East Airy Street · Norristown, PA 19401
215-627-6434
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