Phīla Engaged Giving – philanthropic advisors helping individuals, families, and foundations give with purpose, clarity, and social impact
Phīla Engaged Giving – philanthropic advisors helping individuals, families, and foundations give with purpose, clarity, and social impact

Moving Wealth for Greater Impact

Fiscal sponsorship, pooled funds, and trustee services to move charitable dollars toward bold ideas and collaborative solutions.

Empowering philanthropists to fulfill their charitable potential

Phīla Venture Fund is Phīla’s philosophy in action—a nimble 501(c)(3) that moves money to communities with urgency and care. We remove barriers for donors, support bold, trust-based giving, and offer a platform for catalytic work—no nonprofit status required. PVF also helps carry out donors’ long-term giving plans by serving as trustee or beneficiary for charitable trusts, bequests, and other estate gifts.

You might benefit from PVF’s offerings if you are:

  • Ready to launch a mission-driven effort quickly, without waiting to form your own nonprofit
  • Pooling funds with other donors to make a collective impact
  • Looking to set up a grantmaking group that includes community and field experts to help guide where funding goes
  • Exploring a shared giving journey with others in similar roles, life stages, or who care about the same issue
  • Interested in starting a scholarship fund
  • Needing a place to hold charitable dollars while Phīla Engaged Giving manages the grant distribution for you
  • Planning for your estate or trust and want a charitable partner who can carry out your values—especially around racial equity and social justice
What we do

Phīla Venture Fund is a flexible financial vehicle staffed by philanthropy experts that can house your charitable assets and distribute them in alignment with your philanthropic goals and priorities

Philanthropic Collaborations

We help groups of donors combine their resources into a shared fund guided by a common vision. PVF can also facilitate participatory grantmaking by empowering a committee of field leaders and stakeholders to guide funding decisions. We can help donors:

  • Create a shared vision and structure for giving
  • Engage stakeholders from affected communities
  • Move money quickly and with strategic alignment

Fiscal Sponsorship

PVF supports mission-driven programs and campaigns that don’t have their own 501(c)(3) status. Our services include:
  • Accepting tax-deductible contributions
  • Issuing donor receipts and handling disbursements
  • Managing compliance and reporting
  • Supporting both short-term initiatives and long-term efforts

Charitable Bequest & Trustee Services

  • Serve as the charitable beneficiary of gifts made through wills or trusts—including cash, stock, real estate, donor-advised funds, retirement accounts, and more—and distribute those assets in alignment with your values and priorities
  • Serve as trustee of charitable trusts—managing investments and overseeing distributions in alignment with your values and giving strategy

PVF serves as a trusted fiduciary for estates or trusts to ensure our clients’ philanthropic values are carried out with care and clarity. We work closely with our clients’ advisors and family to relieve them of administrative burden while honoring their intent. We can:

In Action

Phīla Venture Fund Client Stories

Phīla Engaged Giving – philanthropic advisors helping individuals, families, and foundations give with purpose, clarity, and social impact

A PVF Client Story

Cascade Leadership Summit (CLS)

The Cascade Leadership Summit is a trusted peer-learning community for family foundation leaders. Through Phīla Venture Fund, CLS was able to launch a new membership structure that enables deeper engagement, professional facilitation, and expanded resources—all while maintaining the trusted relationships and candid dialogue that make the program so effective. CLS hosts regular virtual and in person learning opportunities that equip leaders for stronger community partnerships and lasting impact and foster collaboration among foundation CEOs. Being hosted at PVF allowed CLS to establish a flexible and equitable fee model that reflected members’ varied capacities. Participants were able to contribute using charitable funds, making it easier for foundation leaders to support the work from their institutions. Additionally, PVF’s nonprofit infrastructure enabled the group to experiment with collaborative funding and shared learning in a way that would have been more difficult under a purely commercial model.

The ripple effects of this program extend far beyond individual foundations, fueling leadership and innovation across the philanthropic sector.

A PVF Client Story

Supporting an Artist Residency Rooted in Equity

Phila Venture Fund served as a launch partner for 404Found, an emerging artist residency dedicated to uplifting young writers from historically underrepresented backgrounds—including migrant communities, formerly incarcerated individuals, and youth aging out of foster care. The project’s founder needed a way to begin fundraising quickly while developing a long-term strategy, and turned to PVF for both fiscal sponsorship and philanthropic advising. Through PVF, the residency was able to receive charitable contributions and seed funding, even in its earliest planning stages—offering donors immediate tax benefits and instilling confidence in the initiative’s structure. Our team provided strategic guidance across multiple phases, from benchmarking similar programs to building a customized operational roadmap, outlining governance models, selection criteria, sustainability strategies, and definitions of success.

By offering nonprofit infrastructure and values-aligned advising, PVF enabled this effort to move from vision to action—supporting a space where emerging artists could access creative time, community, and healing in a setting designed for transformation.

Phīla Engaged Giving – philanthropic advisors helping individuals, families, and foundations give with purpose, clarity, and social impact

Who We Are

Phīla Venture Fund is led by a committed board of civic and philanthropic leaders with deep experience in community-rooted giving and nonprofit governance.

Stephanie Ellis-Smith

President

Nancy Reid

Board member

Hali Lee

Treasurer

Jilla Tombar

Secretary

Leah Bradford Francis

Vice president

Our Values

Trust-Based Approach

We center humility, equity, and collaboration in our work with both donors and communities.

Impact-Focused Stewardship

We are committed to moving resources to high-impact, high-need organizations and efforts.

Legacy & Long-Term Support

We help donors steward their values not only in the present but in carrying out their intent beyond their lifetime.
Testimonials

We empower our clients to be activists for the causes and issues they believe in by employing not just their treasure, but also their talent, time, and ties

You held such an open and trusting space and you’re a skilled and thoughtful guide! I appreciate your reflective listening—you have many brilliant gifts.

Phīla Engaged Giving – philanthropic advisors helping individuals, families, and foundations give with purpose, clarity, and social impact
K. Wright, Family Foundation CEO
CLS Member
Let's connect

For more information on Phīla Venture Fund and how we help, please contact us.

Schedule a Call
Services

Learn About Phila Engaged Giving's Services

Phīla Engaged Giving – philanthropic advisors helping individuals, families, and foundations give with purpose, clarity, and social impact
Philanthropic Advisory Services for Individuals and Families
Phīla Engaged Giving – philanthropic advisors helping individuals, families, and foundations give with purpose, clarity, and social impact
Foundation Management Services
Phīla Engaged Giving – philanthropic advisors helping individuals, families, and foundations give with purpose, clarity, and social impact
Services For Professional Advisors
Phīla Engaged Giving – philanthropic advisors helping individuals, families, and foundations give with purpose, clarity, and social impact
Charitable Estate Services
Phīla Engaged Giving – philanthropic advisors helping individuals, families, and foundations give with purpose, clarity, and social impact
Fiscal Sponsorship and Tax-Exempt Services 
Phīla Engaged Giving – philanthropic advisors helping individuals, families, and foundations give with purpose, clarity, and social impact
Coaching and Facilitation

Serving givers who want to do more with their wealth.

Contact us

Our Phone
206-487-4300

Our Email
info@philagiving.com

Contact us for more information

Phīla Venture Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Washington State. Our Federal EIN/Tax ID number is 85-4366273. © 2025. All Rights Reserved.

© 2025 PHīLA ENGAGED GIVING
Linkedin Instagram
top

Inactive

Phīla Engaged Giving – philanthropic advisors helping individuals, families, and foundations give with purpose, clarity, and social impact

Inactive

Phīla Engaged Giving – philanthropic advisors helping individuals, families, and foundations give with purpose, clarity, and social impact