Donor Advised Funds

Open a DAF

Partner with RSF to set up a philanthropic fund that helps you give with purpose.

Donor Advised Funds

A Donor Advised Fund (DAF) is a charitable giving vehicle administered by a public charity created to manage charitable donations on behalf of organizations, families, or individuals.

A DAF allows a donor to make a charitable contribution, receive an immediate tax deduction, and then recommend grants from the fund over time.

Open a DAF

Mobilize your DAF

Today, billions of dollars in DAFs sit stagnant — or worse, are invested in industries that create harm. By opening a DAF at RSF or contributing new funds to your RSF DAF and investing them into RSF’s Social Investment Fund, you can:

Pay zero DAF management fees for three years on invested capital.
Earn interest on every dollar invested (rate depends on the term you choose).
Put 100% of your capital to work funding mission-driven enterprises in clean energy, sustainable food, and thriving communities.
Retain flexibility — your remaining DAF balance is always available for grants.
Double your impact by investing your capital before granting it out.

Learn more Ask us how you can participate

Photo by École Rudolf Steiner de Montréal

Common Questions about DAFs

What exactly is a DAF, how does it work, and how can setting one up help you on your philanthropic journey? This blog post answers many common questions about donor-advised funds.

Learn more about DAFs

Why open a DAF at RSF?

Activate your money

Join a community of philanthropists that grants out from their funds at a rate triple the national average.

Maximize your impact

DAF clients can invest their funds into a Liquidity Fund that prioritizes social and environmental impact or double their impact by purchasing an RSF SIF note.

Align giving with values

Host your fund at an organization that’s 100% committed to impact.

Frequently Asked Questions

RSF can accept cash gifts by check, credit card, ACH, wire, public equities, and cryptocurrency. We can also accept bequests, distributions from retirement plans, and legacy gifts. On a case by case basis, we may also be able to receive closely held securities, trusts, real estate, or other complex assets. RSF is not able to accept donations of motor vehicles. You can learn more about how to make these different types of contributions in our Giving Guide.
You can open a DAF at RSF with as little as $5,000.
RSF invests the majority of Donor Advised Funds in our Liquidity Portfolio. The portfolio focuses on creating long-term relationships with institutions that offer unique opportunities for positive impact in their communities by supporting economic development projects, affordable housing, and environmental initiatives. This portfolio offers donors an opportunity to preserve principal and maintain liquidity for grantmaking while supporting leading mission-driven institutions.
You can recommend grants and see live account activity on our online client portal. To access the client portal, please navigate to the red button “Client Portal” at the top right of our website, click to reveal the drop-down menu, and select “DAF Client Portal”.
From your donor advised fund at RSF, you can recommend grants to 501c3 organizations and equivalents such as public schools, most churches, and all federally recognized Native American tribal and local governments. RSF can also make grants for charitable work to organizations that are located and operating outside of U.S. borders. The minimum amount for a domestic grant is $250, and the minimum amount for an international grant is $5,000. Please note that there are additional transaction fees associated with international grants.
In addition to our core product offerings of investment notes for impact investors, donor advised funds for philanthropists, and loans for mission-driven organizations, RSF also hosts several dozen publicly supported funds and fiscally sponsors a few nonprofits. You can support these funds and organizations, or add money to your own donor advised fund on the “Other Funds and Fiscally Sponsored Projects” page of our website.

More Resources

DAF Overview

General information about DAFs at RSF.

Read the overview

DAF Program Guide

Detailed terms and conditions.

Download the guide

RSF Giving Guide

Instructions for contributing to a DAF.

Review the instructions

We share the value of reciprocity [and] common goals to advance towards justice. RSF really respects our participation, and really gives the guiding committee of the Pawanka Fund the ability to make decisions.

Dr. Myrna Cunningham, Pawanka Fund

DAF client

Get in touch!

Still have questions before you open a donor advised fund? Get in touch with a member of RSF’s Philanthropic Services team at ps@rsfsocialfinance.org.

Agustina Singh

Manager of Philanthropic Services