More advisers are turning to donor-advised funds

Popularity is rising among philanthropically inclined investors hoping to offset capital gains taxes.

Donor-advised funds, which provide clients with an easy way to give to their favorite causes, experienced a sharp pickup in popularity during 2013. Advisers have turned to them as a way to help philanthropically inclined investors offset capital gains taxes, particularly in light of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 and the five-year bull market.

Fidelity Investments topped the list in both grants and assets in 2013, but the Silicon Valley Community Foundation experienced the most dramatic growth between 2012 and 2013.

Donor-Advised Fund Overview*	2013	2012	% change
Charitable assets	$ 53.74B	$ 44.85B	19.8%
Total contributions	$ 17.28B	$ 13.99B	23.5%
Total grant dollars	$ 9.66B	$ 8.58B	12.6%
Grant Payout**	21.50%	22.50%	-4.4%
Total # of donor advised fund accounts	217,367	205,552	5.7%
Average size of donor advised fund*** account	$247,217	$218,054	13.4%

* Values reflect 1,018 fund sponsors, of which 1,012 had data for both 2012 and 2013.

** Grant Payout = Grant Dollars divided by Charitable Assets at end of prior year x 100 to get a percentage.

*** Donor Advised Fund. This average is the Total Assets Under Management divided by the Total Number of DAF Accounts.

Largest donor-advised fund charitable sponsors ranked by assets

Charity	2013 Assets ($M)	% change vs. 2012	2013 GRANTS ($M)
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund	$10,218.1	35.2%	$1,800.0
Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving	$4,781.5	51.1%	$595.2
Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program	$3,590.2	30.3%	$501.2
Silicon Valley Community Foundation	$3,418.9	99.6%	$298.2
National Philanthropic Trust	$1,648.3	43.4%	$274.2
National Christian Foundation	$1,425.1	16.4%	$654.6
Jewish Communal Fund of New York	$1,163.2	16.6%	$272.2
Greater Kansas City Community Foundation	$1,074.9	36.5%	$84.3
New York Community Trust	$1,021.9	12.1%	$85.3
Renaissance Charitable Foundation	$639.0	31.0%	$69.1