Opening your Vanguard Charitable account online can be done in as little as 15 minutes. Follow these instructions.

Click the Open Account button on the upper right corner of the screen. The open account page will slide open. You have two choices: Read through a brief overview of the process or click the Open an Account button to get started right away. 

Once you begin, opening an account takes about 15 minutes. If you need to go back to a previous screen, click on the prior step located on the left side of the page. Using the steps to navigate the process allows you to go back, review or edit the previous screens. 

Please note that you’ll be asked to designate a succession plan for your account. All Vanguard Charitable accounts are required to have a succession plan on file. 

Once the account is opened, you may fund the account immediately. The minimum amount to open an account is $25,000. If you do not fund your account within 90 days of opening your account, you’ll need to create an account again to open your DAF. 

Learn how to fund your account.

Learn about succession planning for your DAF account.

Explore our investment options.

Once you’ve linked your Vanguard and Vanguard Charitable accounts, you can contribute assets held at Vanguard entirely online at vanguard.com. 

You are eligible to contribute online if: 

• You are contributing from an individual, joint or trust account.
• You are an owner or trustee on the Vanguard account.
• All registered owners/trustees have online access to vanguard.com. 

When you’re ready to make a contribution of assets held at Vanguard, follow these steps: 

1. Navigate to the Vanguard Philanthropic Center.
   • If the above hyperlink is unavailable, log in to your Vanguard account, navigate to Documents, Tax Forms & Information, and refer to the Additional Resources section.
2. Select Make a Donation and select your Vanguard Charitable fund.
3. Choose the Vanguard account from which to contribute.
   • If you are contributing for the first time from an account with a joint owner or secondary trustee, the additional party must accept the multiple owner authorization message via their Vanguard secure message center.
4. Select the assets you would like to contribute, then click Next at the bottom of the page.
   • All contributions are required to be recorded in terms of share quantities, and any transfers involving mutual funds or securities must be processed individually.
   • Cost Basis: To edit your cost basis when entering your gift, click the pencil icon beside the Cost Basis indicator. If unavailable, contact Vanguard directly. Changes apply only to this gift and reset to your prior choice the next business day.
5. Select your investment allocation, then click Next at the bottom of the page.
6. Review the details and click Submit. 

Some helpful tips: 

• For cost basis questions, contact Vanguard. You can update your cost basis method permanently online at vanguard.com or by phone.
• If you have questions about the holdings in your Vanguard account, your Vanguard Representative can support you.
• Contributions from Private Foundations or Corporations are not eligible for electronic authorization on vanguard.com but can still be entered on your Vanguard Charitable Donor Portal. 

Learn more about linking your Vanguard and Vanguard Charitable accounts. 

Learn how to register your Vanguard Charitable account online. 

Learn how to fund your account with assets held outside of Vanguard.

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.