Your Giving

Donor-advised funds are flexible giving tools created by individuals, families, and businesses who wish to actively participate in the grantmaking process.

You can establish a donor-advised fund quickly and easily with a short fund agreement and a single gift. You can then recommend grants from your fund to charitable projects or organizations you wish to support. It is easy to give to multiple nonprofits through a donor-advised fund.

Donor-advised funds at The Denver Foundation can give grants anywhere in the United States, grantees can be religious organizations (or "faith-based"), grants can support overseas efforts through U.S.-based charities, and grantees do not need to be approved through the Community Grants Program process.

Donor-advised funds are particularly useful for families who have broad charitable interests but may have a one-time tax or income event that necessitates a large gift that can then be used to fund charitable activity over a number of years.

For more information, please contact the Philanthropic Services Group at 303.300.1790.

When opening a donor advised fund, there are four basic decisions you will need to make:

• the name of the fund
• whether it will be endowed so that you will only grant 6% each year or nonendowed when you could grant all of it at anytime
• who will serve on your advisory committee if there is more than one person involved
• how long you want the fund to last

Those areas are highlighted on the fund agreement below.

Sample DAF Agreement