Donor-advised funds are one of the fastest growing philanthropic vehicles. Here are the latest numbers, along with links to a variety of other data sources and analysis on the use and effectiveness of this important tool for giving.
Key Statistics
- In 2017, there were more than 728,000 individual DAFs in the U.S. holding an estimated $121 billion
- There are more than 1,000 organizations nationally currently offering DAFs
- Donors contributed more than $37 billion to DAFs and recommended grants of more than $23 billion to qualified non-profits—accounting for more than 3 percent of all charitable giving in the U.S.
Additional Data and Reports on Donor-Advised Funds
For additional data on donor-advised funds, we recommend the following sources:
- Decoding Donor-Advised Funds: From Data to Day-to-Day. Giving USA: February, 2022.
- National Study on Donor Advised Funds. The Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative, 2024.
- Community Foundation Research and Training Institute
- Steele, Ellen and Steuerle, C. Eugene. Discerning the True Policy Debate over Donor-Advised Funds. Urban Institute: October 2015.
- Rooney, Patrick M. Have Donor-Advised Funds and Other Philanthropic Innovations Changed the flow of Giving in the United States? Nonprofit Quarterly: November 7, 2017.
- New Requirements for Donor-Advised Funds. IRS, 2018.
Additional Reading on Donor-Advised Funds
Provided here are a selection of additional books, articles, explanation sheets, and blog posts on the use and effectiveness of donor-advised funds, including critiques and suggestions for ways to best make use of DAFs.
- Bracing for a Downturn: Nonprofits, Charitable Deduction Worries, and How Foundations Can Help. Center for Effective Philanthropy: May 2018.
- Callahan, David. The Price of Privacy: What’s Wrong With the New Shadow Giving System. HistPhil: August 1, 2018.
- Donor-Advised Funds Grow in Popularity as Tools for Impact Investing. Chronicle of Philanthropy: May 8, 2019.
- Donor-Advised Funds Guide Sheet Explanation. IRS: July 31, 2008.
- Donor-Advised Fund Timeline, National Impact of Community Foundation Donor-Advised Funds, and Community Foundation Locator. Council on Foundations.
- McLeod Grant, Heather and Wilkinson, Kate. The Giving Journey: Guiding New Donors to Actualized Philanthropy. Open Impact, 2018.
- Nicolette, Grace and Buteau, Ellie. Donors: 5 Things Nonprofits Want You to Know. Center for Effective Philanthropy: June 2018.
- Schamis, Martin S. Optimizing Tax Strategy & Charitable Giving with a Donor-Advised Fund. American Endowment Foundation: October 2018.
- Takagi, Gene. Donor-Advised Funds: What You Should Know. Nonprofit Law Blog, Neo Law Group: August 18, 2016.
- The Battle Over Donor-Advised Funds: Does the Field Need More Regulation? Nonprofit Quarterly: July 25, 2018.
Find more resources on this topic in The Complete Guide to Family Philanthropy and Donor-Advised Funds.