"Every dollar in a donor-advised fund is destined for charitable organizations,” said Eileen Heisman, president and CEO of National Philanthropic Trust and author of the DAF Report. "Philanthropists donate to their DAFs to support what means most to them over time. This kind of thoughtful philanthropy, plus the fact that DAF contributions and grants have seen double-digit growth for several years now, bodes well for charities here and around the world.”
National Philanthropic Trust's eighth annual Donor-Advised Fund Report found record highs for the third consecutive year in each data point with significant year-over-year growth. 2014 Donor-Advised Fund Report key findings:
DAFs have outnumbered private foundations and the combined total of other gift planning vehicles for several years. NPT also reported a rise in illiquid asset donations and expects this trend will continue.
National Philanthropic Trust's Donor-Advised Fund Report has been published annually since 2006. It primarily uses data from IRS Form 990 filings to provide the most up-to-date and reliable analysis of the DAF market. The 2014 report examined 1,012 charitable organizations (the highest number ever analyzed for the report) that sponsor donor-advised funds, including national charities, community foundations and other sponsoring charities.
Complete 2014 DAF Report available at NPTrust.org/daf-report and upon request.