Money in the fund may be used only for indigent civil litigation programs or insurance assistance programs. The fund is under the control of the State of Iowa Executive Council, which is composed of the governor, auditor, state treasurer, secretary of state and secretary of agriculture. Legal Services Corporation of Iowa uses the grants it receives from the trust fund to provide legal assistance to financially distressed farmers throughout Iowa. The funds are for organizations that provide legal services, public education about the law, or innovations in the administration of justice. The New Hampshire Bar Foundation is raising funds for its endowment through major gifts and planned gifts.
Major gifts are large individual gifts of cash or stock that are available now.
Planned gifts are made through bequests, charitable trusts, gift annuities, life insurance and similar mechanisms that allow donors to make what are usually significant contributions from their assets while gaining tax benefits and, in some cases, income. With planned gifts, the money usually is not available to the organization until a future time, usually after the donor has died. While the Foundation offers the more complicated planned gift options, no donor has yet used one. The revenue received goes into the Bar Foundation's endowment, which is managed by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. To date, the Bar Foundation has received 12 such restricted funds.