What is a donor-advised fund (DAF)?

A donor-advised fund, or DAF, is like a charitable investment account for the sole purpose of supporting charitable organizations you care about.

Why are donor-advised funds so popular?

One of the reasons is the ubiquity of donor-advised funds (DAFs) getting set up by donors for as little as $50. The number of donor-advised fund accounts in the U.S. surpassed 1 million in 2020, and grants to charities from the 10 largest donor-advised fund sponsors totaled $22.41 billion.

What is a donor advised fund?

Generally, a donor advised fund is a separately identified fund or account that is maintained and operated by a section 501 (c) (3) organization, which is called a sponsoring organization. Each account is composed of contributions made by individual donors. Once the donor makes the contribution, the organization has legal control over it.