Policy Primer: Donor-Advised Funds: A Powerful, Popular Charitable Giving Tool

Executive Summary

  • All Americans should have the freedom to use a wide-range of charitable vehicles to meet their giving goals.
  • Donor-advised funds (DAFs), personal charitable giving accounts, are popular and effective charitable vehicles that support a wide variety of causes.
  • As donors give to DAFs, the funds are irrevocably committed to charitable grants and donors have the flexibility to direct which 501(c)(3)s receive the funds and when.
  • DAFs offer donors ease of use, privacy and the ability to respond to crises quickly and nimbly.
  • There is no evidence to support new restrictions on DAFs.
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Donor-advised fund