A donor advised fund is a personal foundation that is established now with a lifetime gift. It enables donors to make grant recommendations to the charities or charitable programs of their choice.
How it works
A donor advised fund:
- Makes annual grants at any time, of any amount, from your fund to your favourite charities.
- Is accessible online through a secure portal that enables granting and fund record keeping.
- Can be invested in a variety of approved investment portfolios, which are set and monitored by Aqueduct’s Investment Committee.
- Name, if you wish, family members as co-advisors or successor advisors to continue active involvement of the family in granting decisions.
- Additional gifts to your fund through your estate plan.
- Is supported by a foundation manager and the Aqueduct team of philanthropic experts.
Frequently Asked Questions
A donor advised fund is a fund held and owned by a charity that is established by one or more donors. The donor provides advice or recommendations to the charity to make grants to charities.
Yes. Donors may choose the timeframe that their fund remains in place to grant to other charities. Options include immediate payout (less than 2 years), a spend-down mandate of a defined period (for example, 10 years), or with minimum annual grants made with the capital maintained over the long-term. Donors always have flexibility to speed-up or slow down the rate of granting.
A new fund can be established with an initial irrevocable donation of $100,000. Aqueduct’s target minimum is $250,000, but we understand some donors need a few years to build to that level.
