Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation

What Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation does

The Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation (CDMF) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation founded in 2000 and headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, that operates as the endowment management arm of the Diocese of Madison. The foundation pools contributions from Catholic parishes, schools, ministries, and individual donors into a unitized investment portfolio — combining all assets into a single diversified vehicle (65% stocks, 30% bonds, 5% short-term) where each fund holds a proportionate number of units re-valued monthly. U.S. Bank serves as the underlying investment manager, with the portfolio screened for USCCB-compliant socially responsible criteria that exclude companies associated with adult entertainment, contraception/abortifacient products, and embryonic stem cell research. CDMF manages over 100 named funds serving the 44 Catholic schools and numerous parishes, ministries, and vocation programs within the Diocese of Madison.

The foundation's product offering centers on two fund types: Endowed Funds (requiring a $25,000 minimum initial gift, perpetual, distributing up to 4.5% annually of a 12-quarter rolling average) and Non-Endowed Funds (fully expendable, with quarterly distribution flexibility). Revenue is generated through tiered administrative fees — 0.75% on the first $1M of assets under management and 0.60% on amounts above $1M — combined with U.S. Bank investment fees for a total cost of 1.15% under $1M and 1.00% over $1M. Complementary services include planned giving vehicles (charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, bequests), fund marketing support (graphic design, online giving platform, donor education), and grant review committee administration.

CDMF is governed by an independent Board of Directors chaired by Bishop Donald J. Hying and composed of clergy and lay professionals drawn from finance, law, and business. The foundation employs a small operational team led by an Executive Director, serves exclusively the Diocese of Madison's geographic footprint in Southern Wisconsin, and operates as a legally separate entity from the Diocese to provide fiduciary protection of fund assets and enforce donor intent across generations.

Name

Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation

Legal name

Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://diocesemadisonfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2000 that manages 100+ pooled endowment funds for Catholic parishes, schools, ministries, and vocation programs within the Diocese of Madison in Southern Wisconsin, charging tiered administrative fees on assets under management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Endowment Management

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAB

Community Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAK

Education Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYEDALAOAB

Fundraising & Annual Giving

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Alumni Relations, Development & Campus Community Engagement

Keywords

• Endowment management services
• Charitable fund administration
• Planned giving services
• Investment management services
• Religious foundation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Endowment Management Fees: CDMF charges a 0.75% fee on the first $1 million dollars and a 0.60% fee on amounts greater than $1 million in assets under management. Combined with U.S. Bank investment fees, total fees are 1.15% for funds under $1 million and 1.00% for funds over $1 million. Endowments have a current annual distribution of up to 4.5% of the fund's 12-quarter rolling average.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation establishes and administers endowed and non-endowed funds that provide perpetual income distributions to Catholic parishes, schools, and ministries within the Diocese of Madison. Contributions are pooled into a unitized investment portfolio managed by U.S. Bank under USCCB-aligned socially responsible screening, with funds categorized across Education, Parish, Ministry, Vocation, and Miscellaneous purposes. The foundation also offers planned giving options for individual donors and provides marketing support to help parishes and schools promote their funds.

Product overview

The Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation (CDMF) operates as an endowment management platform offering two primary fund types: Endowed Funds (requiring $25,000 minimum, perpetual, with 4.5% annual distribution) and Non-Endowed Funds (flexible expenditure funds with investment guidance). The organization uses a unitized accounting system that pools contributions across a diversified investment portfolio (65% stocks, 30% bonds, 5% short-term) managed by U.S. Bank with USCCB-aligned social screening. CDMF manages over 100 named funds categorized by purpose: Education Endowments (tuition assistance, special needs, music/arts, teacher salaries), Parish Endowments (programs, facilities, capital improvements), Ministry Endowments (pro-life, multicultural, healthcare ethics, disabilities), Vocation Endowments (seminarians, priests, consecrated life), and Miscellaneous/Discretionary Endowments (bishop-directed, charitable causes). Additional services include planned giving options, fund marketing support, and grant review committee administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Endowed Funds

Quantifiable outcome

• Endowments can provide distributions for 100+ years while maintaining principal
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bishop Donald J. HyingcoreOthersBishop Donald J. Hying serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors. As the Bishop of the Diocese of Madison, he provides spiritual and strategic leadership to the foundation, which supports the Diocese's parishes, schools, and ministries.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Charitable: The largest U.S. donor-advised fund sponsor. Competes for planned Catholic gifts that might otherwise flow to CDMF's endowed funds; comparable on investment management scale and donor-platform functionality, though secular.
• Schwab Charitable: A major national donor-advised fund sponsor offering low-cost investment options and online giving — competes with CDMF for faith-aligned planned gifts, particularly from high-net-worth Catholic households.
• Catholic Extension: National Catholic organization providing financial and capacity-building support to underserved dioceses, including endowment-building support. Operates at much larger national scale and is a partial substitute/funder for diocesan endowment initiatives like CDMF's.
• National Catholic Community Foundation: National 501(c)(3) providing planned-giving, donor-advised fund, and endowment services aligned with Catholic values across many U.S. dioceses. A potential substitute or partner for CDMF on planned gifts and DAF structures.

Regional players

• Madison Community Foundation: The secular community foundation serving the same Madison/southern Wisconsin geography; Ann Casey, CDMF's President, was formerly VP Finance & Operations there. Directly comparable on pooled fund administration and donor stewardship, but without the Catholic-faith overlay.

Direct peers

• Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota: A Catholic-focused community foundation serving Catholic parishes, schools, and ministries in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis with pooled, faith-aligned endowment management — the closest functional analogue to CDMF, but operating at multi-diocesan scale in Minnesota.

Others

• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB): Sets the USCCB Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines that CDMF's portfolio explicitly adheres to. Acts as an ecosystem steward and standard-setter rather than a competitor, but materially shapes CDMF's permissible investment universe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catholic-diocese-of-madison-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation