A donor-advised fund (DAF) is a charitable giving account designed exclusively to invest, grow, and give assets to charities for meaningful and lasting impact. 

Here's how it works: 

1. You donate assets into your DAF account. Because Vanguard Charitable is a 501(c)(3) organization, contributions to Vanguard Charitable are tax-deductible.
2. Determine an investment allocation for your account. Any growth in your account is tax-free.
3. When you're ready, recommend a grant to a charity you care about, and we take care of the rest.
4. Establish your charitable legacy with a succession plan that reflects your values for years to come. 

Learn how to open a Vanguard Charitable donor-advised fund account.

Learn about the benefits of donor-advised funds.

The quickest way to check a contribution’s status is with your online account. 

1. Log in to your account.
2. On the Contribution Activity page, sort the list of contributions by status or time frame. For additional transaction details, select the view button on the right-hand side of the screen.   

Learn how to register your Vanguard Charitable account for online access.

Vanguard Charitable is a national donor-advised fund sponsor. Founded in 1997 by Vanguard as an independent 501(C)(3) public charity, we are now one of the largest grantmaking organizations in the United States. 

Our mission is to increase philanthropy and maximize its impact over time. To achieve this, we offer the highest-value donor-advised fund (DAF). We specialize in supporting donors who are committed to thoughtful philanthropy with an eye toward making the greatest charitable impact possible.  

Learn more about Vanguard Charitable’s story. 

Learn more about our relationship with Vanguard.

Learn more about donor-advised funds.

Active and passive management are two different approaches to investing and offer their own advantages. 

Active management is an investment approach that seeks to exceed the average returns of a particular financial market or market segment. In selecting securities to buy and sell, active managers may rely on, among other things, research, market forecasts, quantitative models, and their own judgment and experience. 

Passive management refers to index- and exchange-traded funds, which have no active manager and typically lower fees. 

Vanguard Charitable offers investment options with both active and passive management style so you can select your preferred investing approach for your charitable account. 

Explore our investment options.

No. Grants from donor-advised funds are not tax deductible.

Grant processing time may vary depending on the type of organization being supported, recommended grant purpose, time of the year, and availability of advisors and recipient charities to complete required documentation. Processing can take two to ten days. 

During times of high granting volumes, charities may also be experiencing a high influx of donations. It may take them longer to record and deposit the grants. If you're concerned that an approved grant did not reach the charity, we recommend contacting the charity directly before contacting Vanguard Charitable.  

Yes. When recommending a grant, select "in memory of" or "in honor of” for Additional Attribution. When the grant is sent to a charity, the attribution you provide will be shared with the organization.

Yes. When recommending a grant, select an option from the dropdown menu labeled Purpose. You can also add additional comments. These details will be shared with the organization.

Vanguard Charitable can generally issue grants to organizations that are in good standing with the IRS, qualify as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3), and are classified as public charities under Section 509(a) of the Internal Revenue Code at the time the grant is approved. This includes religious and government organizations. Vanguard Charitable may also approve grants to Type I, Type II, functionally integrated Type III supporting organizations, and intermediary organizations. For more information, please see our Policies & Guidelines. 

Learn how to recommend a grant. 

Learn how to manage recurring grant schedules.

You can recommend a grant online at any time when funds are available in your account. For new accounts, you will not be able to enter your grant recommendation until your contribution has settled and the net proceeds are reflected in your available balance. 

Our grant minimum is $500. 

Learn more about how to recommend a grant.