Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs)
Donor-Advised Funds
The Johnson Center conducts groundbreaking research as co-leaders of the Donor Advised Funds Research Collaborative (DAFRC).
Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are among the fastest-growing tools available to donors as a vehicle for managing their charitable giving. Research from state- and national-level analyses reveals more about the landscape of DAFs — including real data on contributions, payout rates, and asset sizes — to inform conversations and debates as leaders inside and outside our sector consider how philanthropic dollars are best activated when there is so much community need.
Annual DAF Report 2025
This new report from the Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative (DAFRC) — a team co-led by the Johnson Center’s Jeff Williams — shares an analysis of thousands of DAF sponsors based in the U.S. for fiscal year 2024, using data from 99 national sponsors, 788 community foundations, and 598 single-issue charities. As DAFs grow in prevalence within the philanthropic landscape, accurate, neutral, and accessible information is critical to understanding their impact. This report provides a reliable reference for the size, scope, and charitable activity of DAFs.
WEBINAR
A Data-Informed Dialogue on DAF Payouts
The Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF) partnered with the Johnson Center for Philanthropy to develop critical research around the account-level activity of DAFs held by Michigan-based community foundations to understand what the data tells us about DAF payout rates within our community of philanthropy. The resulting study is among the most in-depth snapshots of DAF activity available to the field to date. Explore the study's key findings with Kyle Caldwell (CMF), David Biemesderfer (United Philanthropy Forum), Joanne Florino (Philanthropy Roundtable), Jenn Holcomb (Council on Foundations), and others.
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