Donor Advised Funds
Donor Advised Funds are simple, tax-smart investment accounts for charitable giving. Their flexibility and ease of use make them a great option for individuals and families. Plus, they offer significant benefits when compared with private foundations — all with the built-in support of our expert local team.
Vince uses his Donor Advised Fund to support education causes.
Your Charitable Giving, Maximized & Simplified
Creating a Donor Advised Fund at the Sacramento Region Community Foundation enables you support the causes you care about while enjoying flexible service, expert guidance, effective investments, and minimal paperwork. Here’s how it works.
Give
Make a tax-deductible gift of cash, appreciated securities, or other assets to open your Donor Advised Fund.
Personalized Service
We help maximize your granting impact, keep you updated on your fund, and assist with donations, including planned gifts.Favorable Tax Benefits
We offer greater tax benefits than private foundations and accept gifts others cannot, with simplified record keeping for you.Lasting Legacy
Name successor advisors for your fund, if you wish, and define how your fund will be used after your lifetime, allowing it to be a lasting legacy.
Grow
Grow your personalized fund through professionally managed investments, enabling you to make greater impact.
Proven Investment
Choose from long-term, intermediate, or short-term investments that grow tax-free according to your wishes.Give More
Potentially give even more to causes that matter to you by growing your fund over time.Double Your Impact
Your fund’s competitive support fees are re-invested back into the Sacramento region — rather than shareholder pockets — through our programs like Big Day of Giving.
Grant
Grant from your fund to the causes that matter to you — in the capital region and across the nation.
Rewarding Philanthropy
When the time is right for you, make grant recommendations to causes you care about with our easy-to-use online donor portal.Efficient Granting
We send grant checks, keep records, and provide guidance when you desire it, managing the administrative hassles so you don’t have to.Build Community
Enjoy connecting with like-minded philanthropists and nonprofit leaders at exclusive, local events.
Your Donor Advised Fund comes with services, expertise, and support to achieve your philanthropic goals:
✅ Personalized Service: We help maximize your grantmaking impact, keep you updated on your fund, and assist with donations, including planned gifts.
✅ Efficiency: Support any number of causes you love without the administrative burden of establishing a private foundation.
✅ Legacy: Name successor advisors for your fund, if you wish, and define how your fund will be used after your lifetime, allowing it to be a lasting legacy.
✅ Investment Expertise: Your Donor Advised Fund is managed by local professionals according to your wishes for growth and sustainability.
✅ Double Your Impact: Re-invest support fees back into the Sacramento region, not shareholder pockets.
✅ Build Community: Connect with like-minded philanthropists and nonprofit leaders at exclusive events.
With over 40 years of experience as the capital region’s trusted philanthropic resource, we’re here to help you shape your impact — and we provide significant benefits others cannot:
| Sacramento Region Community Foundation | Commercial Funds (Fidelity, Schwab) | Private Foundation | Cash Gifts to Nonprofits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Give to causes locally and across the U.S. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Income tax deductions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Charitable assets grow with professional oversight | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Expendable or endowed investments | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| No startup costs | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| No annual taxes and payout rules | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Grant and admin services | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Simplified record-keeping | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Anonymous granting option | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Complex gifts like real estate accepted | ✓ | |||
| Multiple fund types | ✓ | |||
| Fees reinvested in your community | ✓ | |||
| Connect with community leaders | ✓ | |||
| Tap expertise on nonprofits and needs | ✓ | |||
| Detailed recommendations | ✓ |
“We thought we would create our own private foundation. Our attorney suggested that we instead establish a Donor Advised Fund at the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, and it has made our giving so easy and fun.”
Denise timmons, Fundholder
Create Your Fund
Submit the form below to begin the process of opening your Donor Advised Fund. Our team will follow-up with next steps.
Ready to learn more? We’re happy to work with you and your advisors to tailor a Donor Advised Fund that suits your giving goals. Schedule a meeting to get started and contact us at any time with questions.
There are many benefits to opening a Donor Advised Fund at the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. Among them:
- Personal service: We work with you to increase the impact of your grantmaking, will keep you informed about your fund and the Foundation, and assist you in adding to your fund now or through your estate.
- Direct participation: You recommend organizations you’d like to support, and we handle the paperwork. Plus, we can accommodate anonymity preferences.
- Investment expertise: Your contributions to your Donor Advised Fund are stewarded by our expert investment committee and professional managers to ensure the longevity and growth of your fund.
- Ensured legacy: You may name successor advisors for your fund and you can also define how your fund will be used after you are no longer an advisor – allowing your charitable fund to be a lasting legacy.
You can establish a Donor Advised Fund for as little as $10,000. Your fund can be endowed with a minimum of $50,000, ensuring it generates meaningful awards to support the causes you care about most — forever. We accept a variety of assets and have in-house expertise to process complex current and planned gifts, ensuring the greatest tax advantages are achieved. See Ways to Give.
You can invest your Donor Advised Fund assets in our professionally managed investment pools, designed to fit your time horizon and giving goals. See Investment Portfolios.
With our commitment to delivering world-class philanthropy, we offer a variety of support services to donors. We handle all “back office” support for your fund(s). You will have access to our online donor portal, where our team will update your fund with information on contributions, grants, investment earnings, and more. In addition, our team is happy to conduct research about nonprofit causes on your behalf and does due diligence to ensure any nonprofit you want to support is an IRS-certified 501(c)(3) organization in good standing. Our Philanthropy Team is available during office hours to respond to your questions and needs.
Our competitive support fees offset the cost of fund administration and are also reinvested in the Sacramento region through our grantmaking and programs — attending to critical regional issues, improving local lives, and multiplying the impact of your giving. Our support fees vary based on fund type and, in some cases, on the size of the fund. See our fee schedule.
Yes. Anyone can make a charitable contribution to your fund through the transfer of a variety of assets, including cash, appreciated securities, real estate and more.
Yes, our team is available to research nonprofit organizations working in the areas of interest to you. We can provide a list of organizations and even connect you to help build relationships. Helping our donors become informed about nonprofits working in areas of interest to them is one of our most significant value-adds, and it is a key reason why donors choose community foundations like the Sacramento Region Community Foundation above other charitable sponsors.
You can direct grants from your Donor Advised Fund at any time. Our granting policy recommends donors direct grants at least once a year, and requires a grant to be distributed at least once every three years. See our Donor Advised Fund Policy in Financials & Forms.
Yes. Organizations you support must be certified 501(c)(3) charitable organizations. Our staff does the due diligence to ensure all nonprofit recipients are in good standing and actively certified as a 501(c)(3).
No. Through your Donor Advised Fund, you can support organizations that are in good standing and actively certified as a 501(c)(3).
Yes, we can accommodate requests for anonymity. We maintain the highest level of confidentiality with respect to your fund’s information. We do not release the personal or financial information of any individual or organization without the consent of the donor.
Your Philanthropy Team
Your philanthropy is personal. We are your support team, here to help you and your supporters give with confidence.
