2011 DAF Report Preview (Part III)

Grantmaking is a key piece of information that we measure in our Donor-Advised Fund Report. This year, when we looked at all different kinds of donor-advised fund programs, we found a modest increase (1.3%) in the total amount of dollars granted. The combined number was $6.2 billion, the second highest we’ve seen since our report began.

We also found that donor-advised fund programs collectively granted out 17.9% of their assets in 2010. This percentage is higher than the 16.8% payout rate from 2009. It also far exceeds the typical 5% payout rate made by private, family and corporate foundations.  

When we looked at the programs in separate groups, we found that National Charities were driving the increases. In 2010, National Charities increased grantmaking by 15.3% to a record high of $2.9 billion. Since 2007, National Charities have increased grantmaking by 33%.  
 
By contrast, Community Foundations decreased their grantmaking by 12.7% to a total of $1.9 billion. This was the fourth straight decrease for Community Foundations and the steepest decrease since 2007. Furthermore, Single-Issue Charities (faith-based institutions, universities and “issue specific” charities) decreased their grantmaking by 1.9% to a total of $1.46 billion. This is the lowest total for Single-Issue Charities since 2007.