Reduced or eliminated capital gains taxes

If you’re looking to sell an appreciated asset held for more than one year, you will likely need to pay capital gains taxes on that asset. This can be a significant tax liability. 

However, when you give appreciated securities held longer than one year to your DAF account, you can minimize or often eliminate the capital gains taxes that you’d otherwise pay if you sold them.

Charitable dollars grow tax-free in a DAF

Contributions to a DAF are invested, enabling you to potentially grow additional funds for charity. 

Any additional funds generated from DAF investments grow tax-free and can be granted out to any public charity in good standing with the IRS. Most donors find they can grant more to charity than they initially contributed to their DAF account—and without increasing tax liability! And with low-cost, high-quality investment solutions from Vanguard Charitable, you can further reduce the cost of investing charitable funds.

Reduce estate taxes by removing an asset from an estate 

With a DAF, you can pass on a charitable legacy rather than passing on a significant tax liability. When you donate an asset to your DAF and remove it from your estate, you reduce any estate taxes that would be imposed on the estate on account of that asset's value. 

Choose successors to your DAF so those you care about can inherit your philanthropic legacy. You can also create a plan for ongoing granting to support your favorite causes with your DAF beyond your lifetime. 

A DAF allows you to continue making a difference for generations without increasing your estate’s tax liability.

Make tax time easier 

If you give to several nonprofits throughout the year, you then have to gather all those receipts of donations at the end of the year. But a Vanguard Charitable DAF keeps a record of all your contributions, making it easy to see all the charitable giving you’ve done in the past year in one place. 

With a thorough record of all your giving readily available, you can quickly see if you’re on track with your charitable giving and tax strategy.