| Vanguard Charitable

Did you know that adding a donor-advised fund (DAF) to your philanthropic strategy, even if you already have a private foundation or community foundation, could increase your giving potential? Giving vehicles can be used strategically and in tandem to support efficient, impactful philanthropy.

 

Discover how Vanguard Charitable is supporting lean funders and how private foundations and community foundations can leverage donor-advised fund tactics to amplify mission and streamline operations. We'll be sharing more at the Annual Exponent Philanthropy Conference on November 11-13, 2025. We look forward to seeing you there. 

Connect with us and enter a raffle for your favorite charity!

We want to be your partner in strategic, impactful charitable giving to amplify your Foundation's mission and streamline operations. Fill out our contact form and potentially win a grant for a charity of your choice!

 

I can’t find the charity I’d like to grant to in my Vanguard Charitable account. Can I suggest it be added?

If you’re unable to find your desired charity in our database, you can use the Suggest a Charity feature to submit the organization for review.

 

  1. Search the database by selecting Grants à Discover Charities and search by the charity’s name or EIN (Employer Identification Number). Tip: Use “Advanced Filters” to narrow your results.
  2. Can’t find the charity? Click the Suggest a charity that appears below the search bar. Enter the required details of the charity’s legal name and EIN.
    • An EIN is the unique number assigned by the IRS to every U.S. nonprofit. You can often find it on the charity’s website or by contacting the charity directly, using the IRS Exempt Organizations Search, or by searching “Charity Name + EIN” in a search engine.
    • If the EIN does not exist in our system: You’ll be prompted to enter the charity’s mailing address, a contact name, phone number, and/or email address.
    • If the EIN already exists in our system: You’ll see the charity appear in the results and you can proceed to recommend a grant. Note: If the record is for a parent entity (e.g., a national headquarters), you can specify your intended chapter or affiliate in the grant purpose field. Submit a grant recommendation. A grant must be recommended before our due diligence process can begin. 

 

What happens next? 

  • Due diligence typically takes 2–10 business days.
  • You can track updates in your Notification Center.
  • If the charity is eligible, we’ll begin reviewing your grant recommendation. If it’s not eligible, you’ll receive a notification in your online account explaining why.

How do I edit a recurring grant schedule?

We know that sometimes plans change. If they do, it’s simple to manage recurring grants right in your online account. 

 

To locate your recurring grant schedule you’d like to manage: 

  1. Log in to your online account.
  2. On the Manage Grants page, click on the Grant Schedules tab to view your schedule activity.
    • Please note that you can only modify schedules with a status of Entered or Active. Schedules with a status of Complete or Canceled indicate that no additional payments will be issued. 

 

To edit your recurring grant schedule: 

  1. Once you’ve located the schedule you would like to edit, click View & Edit on the righthand side.
  2. Scroll to the section you would like to edit and click the Edit button. For example, edit the sections Charity, Amount, or Purpose.
  3. Once you’ve made your changes, select Next in the lower right corner.
  4. Ensure that you accept the disclaimer and click Submit Grant to save your changes. 

 

To cancel your recurring grant schedule: 

  1. Once you’ve located the schedule you would like to cancel, click Cancel on the right-hand side.
    • Please note that this action will only cancel future dated payments with a status of Not Scheduled. 

 

Learn how to recommend a grant.

Learn how to set up recurring grant schedules.

How do I check the status of my grant?

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

 

  1. Log in to your account.
  2. On the Manage Grants page, grants are automatically sorted by the scheduled date. Locate the grant you’d like to view by using the search bar.
  3. In the Status column, see the current status of your entered grant. Unless the grant has a status of Complete or Canceled. 

 

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

How do I recommend a grant?

You can securely recommend a grant to charity at any time to a charity as long as you have funds 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. 

 

To set up a recurring grant schedule online, follow these steps:

  1. Log into your fund and navigate to Grants àGive to Charities.
  2. Locate your charity using one of the methods below and click Start a Grant.
    • Search the database using the Discover Charities search bar.
    • Explore your personalized lists using the Charities recently supported or Your saved charities tabs.
  3. Enter the grant amount and select a purpose to indicate how the charity can use the funds, then click Next.
    • Note: Some grant purposes require acceptance of a related disclaimer before continuing to the next step.
  4. Indicate your Grant Recognition preference — this is the donor information the charity receives. Click Next.
    • You can specify additional details in the Additional Attribution and Permission to Publish sections. Click each section to expand the fields.
  5. Indicate the payment type by clicking Recurring Grant. Here, you can select all the details of the recurring grant, including frequency and amount. Note that you can edit these details later. Click Next.
    • Grant Allocation refers to how funds will be pulled from your investment options. Weighted percentage maintains your current investment allocation.
  6. Review the information to ensure it is correct, check the box to view and accept the disclaimer, then click Submit

 

You can also recommend a grant by downloading and mailing a Recommend a Grant form. 

 

Please note that there is a minimum of $500 to recommend a grant. Learn more about why this $500 minimum was established to maximize philanthropic impact while reducing administrative burden for charities.  

 

Learn how to manage recurring grant schedules.

How do I set up a recurring grant schedule?

Recurring grants are an easy and effective way to simplify your charitable giving—automating regular gifting to the organizations you love most. It’s simple to establish recurring grants right in your online account. 

 

To set up a recurring grant schedule online, follow these steps:

  1. Log into your fund and navigate to Grants àGive to Charities.
  2. Locate your charity using one of the methods below and click Start a Grant.
    • Search the database using the Discover Charities search bar.
    • Explore your personalized lists using the Charities recently supported or Your saved charities tabs.
  3. Enter the grant amount and select a purpose to indicate how the charity can use the funds, then click Next.
    • Note: Some grant purposes require acceptance of a related disclaimer before continuing to the next step.
  4. Indicate your Grant Recognition preference — this is the donor information the charity receives. Click Next.
    • You can specify additional details in the Additional Attribution and Permission to Publish sections. Click each section to expand the fields.
  5. Indicate the payment type by clicking Recurring Grant. Here, you can select all the details of the recurring grant, including frequency and amount. Note that you can edit these details later. Click Next.
    • Grant Allocation refers to how funds will be pulled from your investment options. Weighted percentage maintains your current investment allocation.
  6. Review the information to ensure it is correct, check the box to view and accept the disclaimer, then click Submit

 

You can also recommend a grant by downloading and mailing a Recommend a Grant form. 

 

Please note that there is a minimum of $500 to recommend a grant. Learn more about why this $500 minimum was established to maximize philanthropic impact while reducing administrative burden for charities. 

 

Learn how to recommend a grant.

Learn how to manage recurring grant schedules.

How many grants am I required to recommend to keep my account active?

Our minimum account activity policy requires an account issue at least one grant every three years to remain active. All Vanguard Charitable grants must be at least $500. 

 

If an account has not granted after 30 months, the account is considered inactive, and we will attempt to contact account advisors to recommend at least one $500 grant. If a grant is still not recommended, Vanguard Charitable reserves the right to issue a grant from the account in accordance with the account’s succession plan, granting history, to The Philanthropic Impact Fund, or to enact the account’s succession plan. 

 

If you’re looking for charities to give to, log in to your account and visit the Discover Charities page. There you can search for charities by region, interest area, and size, allowing you to find a charity that aligns with your values and interests. 

 

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

Learn how to recommend a grant.

Read our Policies and Guidelines.

Learn about the Philanthropic Impact Fund.

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