A Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) is a charitable giving vehicle that lets you make a tax-deductible contribution now and recommend grants to charities over time. Sponsoring organizations include Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, Vanguard Charitable, and community foundations. Strategy: bunch multiple years of giving into one year (qualifying you to itemize), then distribute to your usual charities over the next several years. DAFs accept cash, appreciated securities, and complex assets. Inside the DAF, assets grow tax-free until distributed. Minimum initial contributions vary ($0 at Schwab/Fidelity; $25K at Vanguard). DAFs democratize the giving strategies wealthy donors have used for decades.
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Donor-Advised Fund
August 22, 2026 · Aditya Gupta
Tax
Related terms
Alternative Minimum Tax
Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) is a parallel tax system designed to ensure high-income taxpayers pay a minimum. Calculate…
American Opportunity Credit
The American Opportunity Credit provides up to $2,500 per student per year for the first four years of…
Bunching Deductions
Bunching deductions is the strategy of concentrating itemizable expenses into alternating years to exceed the standard deduction in…
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Charitable contribution deductions allow taxpayers who itemize to deduct cash donations to qualified 501(c)(3) charities up to 60%…
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The Child Tax Credit (CTC) provides $2,000 per qualifying child under 17, with $1,600 refundable as the Additional…
Deductible Business Expense
A deductible business expense must be both 'ordinary' (common in your industry) and 'necessary' (helpful to the business).…
