JENKINTOWN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 2015 Donor-Advised Fund Report, the most comprehensive record of the US donor-advised fund (DAF) philanthropy sector, revealed that charitable giving from DAFs to qualified non-profits around the world surged 27 percent in 2014 to $12.49 billion.
Published annually by National Philanthropic Trust - the largest national, independent donor-advised fund charity in the US - the report also detailed record growth in every key benchmark, including contributions from donors to DAFs totaling $19.66 billion and total DAF assets available for grantmaking at a historic high of $70.70 billion.
“Grants from DAFs have seen double-digit growth for two years in a row, demonstrating DAF donors’ heightened engagement with the charities that mean most to them,” said Eileen Heisman, president and CEO of National Philanthropic Trust and author of the DAF Report. “We attribute this record growth in grants to an increase in annual contributions, along with investment gains. There is also a growing trend of donating illiquid assets like complex securities, art and real estate to fund DAFs. Americans have never been more charitable and DAF account holders are some of the most generous.”
National Philanthropic Trust’s ninth annual Donor-Advised Fund Report identified record highs for the fourth consecutive year in each key data point, with significant year-over-year growth. Key findings from the 2015 Donor-Advised Fund Report:
- Total charitable assets available for grant making in all DAFs totaled $70.70 billion (23.9 percent increase, continuing a trajectory of double-digit growth every year since 2010 and the second year assets have increased by more than 20 percent)
- Grants from DAFs to qualified charities totaled $12.49 billion (27.0 percent year-over-year increase), continuing an annual payout rate exceeding 20 percent for the ninth consecutive year versus 5 percent mandatory minimum for foundations
- Contributions to DAFs totaled $19.66 billion (14.1 percent increase)
- DAF accounts totaled 238,293 in the U.S. (8.8 percent increase)
- The average size of DAF accounts reached a record $296,701 (13.7 percent increase)
“Donor-advised funds continue to be the fastest-growing giving vehicle in the US because of their flexibility, low administrative costs and the gains from investable charitable assets,” said Heisman. “Families, individuals and corporations are DAF donors. DAFs vary in size, scope and missions; despite this wide range of donor types and their personal interests, each share a common goal of delivering mission-critical funding to charitable organizations.”
DAF accounts have outnumbered private foundations and the combined total of other gift planning vehicles for several years.
“Donor-advised funds were first utilized more than 80 years ago and have become an influential component of philanthropy in the US,” concluded Heisman. “DAF donors have supported large and small causes from coast to coast and beyond, including some of the most critical charitable moments in history. As the report reveals, DAFs will continue this trajectory.”
Methodology: National Philanthropic Trust’s Donor-Advised Fund Report has been published annually as a public service 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 2015 report examined 1,016 charitable organizations that sponsor donor-advised funds, including national charities, community foundations and other sponsoring charities.
Complete 2015 DAF Report available at NPTrust.org/daf-report and upon request. Data credit: National Philanthropic Trust, NPTrust.org.
About National Philanthropic Trust
NPT is the largest national, independent donor-advised fund charity in the U.S., raising more than $5.2 billion in charitable contributions since its founding in 1996. NPT ranks among the Top 25 largest grant making institutions in the U.S. and currently manages over $2.6 billion in charitable assets. It has made more than 121,000 grants exceeding $3 billion to charities all over the world, including grants to charities in 59 foreign countries. Visit NPTrust.org.
