Trust vs. Foundation — What's the Difference?

A structure where trustees manage assets for designated beneficiaries.

An entity created with assets dedicated to social, educational, or other specific purposes.

Firm belief in the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing; confidence or reliance

An institution financed to support charitable, educational, or other specific objectives.

The condition and resulting obligation of having confidence placed in one

A legal entity established to fund and oversee charitable activities.

One in which confidence is placed.

The act of founding, especially the establishment of an institution with provisions for future maintenance.

Custody; care

(Architecture) A wall or other structure, as of concrete or masonry, usually extending below ground level and forming the base upon which a building rests.

Something committed into the care of another; a charge

Something that gives rise to or supports something else.

Reliance on something in the future; hope

The act of founding, fixing, establishing, or beginning to erect.

Reliance on the intention and ability of a purchaser to pay in the future; credit

That upon which anything is founded; that on which anything stands, and by which it is supported; the lowest and supporting layer of a superstructure; underbuilding.

A legal relationship in which one party holds a title to property while another party has the entitlement to the beneficial use of that property.

(figurative) The result of the work to begin something; that which stabilizes and allows an enterprise or system to develop.

The confidence reposed in a trustee when giving the trustee legal title to property to administer for another, together with the trustee's obligation regarding that property and the beneficiary.

(card games) In solitaire or patience games, one of the piles of cards that the player attempts to build, usually holding all cards of a suit in ascending order.

The property so held.

(architecture) The lowest and supporting part or member of a wall, including the base course and footing courses; in a frame house, the whole substructure of masonry.

An institution or organization directed by trustees

A donation or legacy appropriated to support a charitable institution, and constituting a permanent fund; endowment.

A combination of firms or corporations for the purpose of reducing competition and controlling prices throughout a business or industry.

That which is founded, or established by endowment; an endowed institution or charity.

To have or place confidence in; depend on

(cosmetics) Cosmetic cream roughly skin-colored, designed to make the face appear uniform in color and texture.

To have confidence in allowing (someone) to use, know, or look after something

A basis for social bodies or intellectual disciplines.

To expect with assurance; assume

The act of founding, fixing, establishing, or beginning to erect.

To give credence to; believe

That upon which anything is founded; that on which anything stands, and by which it is supported; the lowest and supporting layer of a superstructure; groundwork; basis.

To place in the care of another person or in a situation deemed safe; entrust

A donation or legacy appropriated to support a charitable institution, and constituting a permanent fund; endowment.

To extend credit to.

That which is founded, or established by endowment; an endowed institution or charity; as, the Ford Foundation.

To have or place reliance; depend

The basis on which something is grounded;

To be confident; hope.

An institution supported by an endowment

Confidence in or reliance on some person or quality.

The fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained;

Dependence upon something in the future; hope.

Lowest support of a structure;

Confidence in the future payment for goods or services supplied; credit.

Education or instruction in the fundamentals of a field of knowledge;

That which is committed or entrusted; something received in confidence; a charge.

A woman's undergarment worn to give shape to the contours of the body

That upon which confidence is reposed; ground of reliance; hope.

The act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new;

(rare) Trustworthiness, reliability.

An organization set up with an endowment to aid a particular cause.

The condition or obligation of one to whom anything is confided; responsible charge or office.

An institution that channels resources, usually donations, to serve a defined mission.

(legal) The confidence vested in a person who has legal ownership of a property to manage for the benefit of another.

(legal) An arrangement whereby property or money is given to be held by a third party (a trustee), on the basis that it will be managed for the benefit of, or eventually transferred to, a stated beneficiary; for example, money to be given to a child when he or she reaches adulthood.

A group of businessmen or traders organised for mutual benefit to produce and distribute specific commodities or services, and managed by a central body of trustees.

(computing) Affirmation of the access rights of a user of a computer system.

(transitive) To place confidence in, to rely on, to confide in.

To have faith in; to rely on for continuing support or aid.

(transitive) To give credence to; to believe; to credit.

(transitive) To hope confidently; to believe (usually with a phrase or infinitive clause as the object)

(transitive) to show confidence in a person by entrusting them with something.

(transitive) To commit, as to one's care; to entrust.

(transitive) To give credit to; to sell to upon credit, or in confidence of future payment.

To rely on (something), as though having trust (on it).

To risk; to venture confidently.

(intransitive) To have trust; to be credulous; to be won to confidence; to confide.

To sell or deliver anything in reliance upon a promise of payment; to give credit.

(obsolete) Secure, safe.

(obsolete) Faithful, dependable.

(legal) of or relating to a trust.

Assured resting of the mind on the integrity, veracity, justice, friendship, or other sound principle, of another person; confidence; reliance; reliance.

Credit given; especially, delivery of property or merchandise in reliance upon future payment; exchange without immediate receipt of an equivalent; as, to sell or buy goods on trust.

Assured anticipation; dependence upon something future or contingent, as if present or actual; hope; belief.

That which is committed or intrusted to one; something received in confidence; charge; deposit.

The condition or obligation of one to whom anything is confided; responsible charge or office.

That upon which confidence is reposed; ground of reliance; hope.

An estate devised or granted in confidence that the devisee or grantee shall convey it, or dispose of the profits, at the will, or for the benefit, of another; an estate held for the use of another; a confidence respecting property reposed in one person, who is termed the trustee, for the benefit of another, who is called the cestui que trust.

An equitable right or interest in property distinct from the legal ownership thereof; a use (as it existed before the Statute of Uses); also, a property interest held by one person for the benefit of another. Trusts are active, or special, express, implied, constructive, etc. In a passive trust the trustee simply has title to the trust property, while its control and management are in the beneficiary.

A business organization or combination consisting of a number of firms or corporations operating, and often united, under an agreement creating a trust (in sense 1), esp. one formed mainly for the purpose of regulating the supply and price of commodities, etc.; often, opprobriously, a combination formed for the purpose of controlling or monopolizing a trade, industry, or business, by doing acts in restraint or trade; as, a sugar trust. A trust may take the form of a corporation or of a body of persons or corporations acting together by mutual arrangement, as under a contract or a so-called gentlemen's agreement. When it consists of corporations it may be effected by putting a majority of their stock either in the hands of a board of trustees (whence the name trust for the combination) or by transferring a majority to a holding company. The advantages of a trust are partly due to the economies made possible in carrying on a large business, as well as the doing away with competition. In the United States severe statutes against trusts have been passed by the Federal government and in many States, with elaborate statutory definitions.

Held in trust; as, trust property; trustmoney.

To place confidence in; to rely on, to confide, or repose faith, in; as, we can not trust those who have deceived us.

To give credence to; to believe; to credit.

To hope confidently; to believe; - usually with a phrase or infinitive clause as the object.

To show confidence in a person by intrusting (him) with something.

To commit, as to one's care; to intrust.

To give credit to; to sell to upon credit, or in confidence of future payment; as, merchants and manufacturers trust their customers annually with goods.

To risk; to venture confidently.

To have trust; to be credulous; to be won to confidence; to confide.

To be confident, as of something future; to hope.

To sell or deliver anything in reliance upon a promise of payment; to give credit.

Something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary);

Certainty based on past experience;

The trait of trusting; of believing in the honesty and reliability of others;

A consortium of independent organizations formed to limit competition by controlling the production and distribution of a product or service;

Complete confidence in a person or plan etc;

A trustful relationship;

Have confidence or faith in;

Allow without fear

Be confident about something;

Expect and wish;

Confer a trust upon;

Extend credit to

A fiduciary relationship where assets are held for beneficiaries.

An arrangement where property is managed by one party for another's benefit.

A legal entity created to hold and manage assets.

An entity designed to safeguard assets and ensure they serve a specific purpose.

A Trust manages assets for beneficiaries, while a Foundation finances specific objectives, often charitable.

Yes, a Trust's assets can be directed towards funding a Foundation.

Foundations provide a structured way to support causes and often come with tax and organizational benefits.

Non-profit Foundations typically have tax-exempt status, but specifics depend on jurisdiction and activities.

Yes, Trusts can be established for charitable purposes, known as charitable trusts.

Foundations can operate indefinitely, as long as they fulfill their mission and comply with regulatory requirements.

Most Foundations have a board or governance structure to oversee their activities and finances.

Most Foundations have a non-profit status, but it depends on their objective and jurisdiction.

Foundations are often funded through endowments, donations, or specific fundraising activities.

Trustees are responsible for managing and overseeing Trust assets.

Trusts may have varying levels of transparency depending on their purpose and jurisdiction.

Yes, beneficiaries can be individuals, groups, or organizations.

Depending on the type of Trust, some might be irrevocable, making alterations difficult, while others are more flexible.

Yes, a Trust can be set up for the benefit of multiple parties.

While both aim for public benefit, a Foundation typically has an endowment or consistent funding source, whereas a non-profit might rely more on fundraising.