All you need to know
Our fees and minimums were thoughtfully established to support your charitable giving goals and the convenience you want.
$25,000
$5,000
$500
Low cost, high impact
Our industry-low all-in fee is made up of an administrative fee and an investment fee. We keep this fee low so more dollars go to charity. The administrative fee covers general operating costs, such as legal, accounting, processing, and staff. The investment fee covers the cost of investment management, such as weighted expense ratios charged for investment options.
Administrative Fee
Covers the costs of general operating costs, including legal, accounting, processing, and employees.
Investment Fee
Covers the costs of management of invested assets to allow for charitable growth.
All-in Fee
See just how low our fees are. Try our cost calculator.
Try our cost calculator to gain a general idea of the fees associated with the assets you're considering for donation. Depending on the asset, we may need to assess additional fees to cover costs. When anticipated, the fees will be communicated before being applied. Want more details about our fees? Check out Policies & Guidelines.
Administrative Fee
Administrative fee schedule | Administrative Fees |
| First $500K | 0.60% |
| Next $500K | 0.30% |
| Next $4M | 0.12%* |
| Next $10M | 0.10% |
| Next $15M | 0.08% |
| Next $70M | 0.05% |
| Additional assets over $100M | Contact us |
*Administrative fees are based on each account's balance. | |
Why do we charge an administration fee?
Giving to one charity might be simple, but giving to many charities, planning giving goals, and setting up long-term succession plans is a different kind of giving. Using a donor-advised fund saves you time and helps with the administrative tasks needed to support the charities you believe in.
The fee enables us to provide you with access to our knowledgeable staff, in-depth due diligence, advanced research tools, such as the GuideStar Nonprofit Directory, and supports an online 24/7 account portal for all account management activities. It also covers general operating costs, such as legal, accounting, processing and staff.
Account pricing status
Vanguard Charitable designates philanthropic accounts as eligible for either Standard or Premier pricing. Based on account balance and activity, pricing status dictates an account’s administrative fee schedule.
Standard account status applies to accounts with assets under $1 million or over $1 million (who have not been approved for Premier account status). These accounts will have a 0.60% administrative fee applied to those assets under $500K and a fee of 0.30% applied to those assets over $500K.
Premier account status is subject to Vanguard Charitable's approval and is based on account balance, activity, and patterns. Most accounts with balances of more than $1 million for at least three months are approved for Premier status. Account status is reviewed and approved on a quarterly basis.
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Footnotes
A maintenance fee of $250 is assessed to accounts with balances less than $25,000 in February. New accounts, open for fewer than six months at the time of the fee assessment, are excluded. To avoid this fee, set a reminder to check your account each December to ensure your account balance is safely above $25,000 by the end of January. While the need to do so is rare, Vanguard Charitable reserves the right to deduct extraordinary costs incurred as a result of an account’s activity. This may include legal and professional costs, taxes, or transaction costs. For more information about fees and expenses, please visit our Policies & Guidelines.
*This number represents Vanguard Charitable’s investment fee average compared to the industry average fee, which is calculated based on the average expense ratios charged by other donor-advised fund sponsors, according to the most recent publicly available fee schedules.
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Maintenance fee may be applied
Accounts having a balance below $25,000 may be subject to an annual maintenance fee of $250.
You are eligible for special rates
Our premier clients enjoy reduced pricing to further maximize their impact.
Our representatives are happy to guide you through.