Donor-Advised Fund

A donor-advised fund (DAF) is like a charitable savings account that makes purposeful, tax- smart giving simple. Opening a UNG Foundation DAF positions the university foundation as your philanthropy partner, making it easy to maintain a meaningful commitment to the University of North Georgia Foundation while retaining flexibility in how and when you give—now for immediate impact or over time for strategic giving. You can support the UNG Foundation alongside other charities you care about, all from one streamlined platform that keeps you connected to the UNG community.

**The UNG Foundation DAF Program is offered in partnership with DAF sponsor, Charityvest, Inc. Contributions to the UNG Foundation DAF are irrevocable, tax-deductible gifts to Charityvest, a 501(c)(3) public charity. EIN 81-2771871

Yes, contributions to a donor-advised fund are tax-deductible charitable gifts, subject to IRS rules and your personal tax situation. A UNG Foundation DAF offers significant tax advantages. You receive an immediate tax deduction in the year you contribute, not when you make grants which means you can recommend grants to charities over time while having already secured your tax benefit.

If you donate appreciated assets like stock, you mitigate paying capital gains tax while claiming a deduction for the full market value. All contributions can grow tax-free while invested in your DAF. This strategy allows you to align your charitable giving with your overall tax planning and financial goals.

The UNG Foundation DAF Program is designed to be accessible and transparent. The minimum to open a UNG Foundation DAF account is $2,500. Once your account is open, the minimum contribution to your fund is $15 and the minimum grant to a charity is $15.

The administrative fee, starting at 60 bps, covers the cost of operating the DAF platform. This administrative fee only applies to UNG Foundation DAF accounts that are invested.

The UNG advancement team will invite you to enroll in the DAF program via email. Once your UNG Foundation DAF account is open, the UNG advancement team can help you navigate the platform.

The University of North Georgia advancement team will invite you to enroll in the DAF program via email. Follow the instructions to complete your account creation. After you create your account, you’ll access your DAF via a link provided.

• Cash and checks

• Publicly traded securities

• Cryptocurrency

• Mutual funds

• Real estate

• Private equity and business interests

• Appreciated stock

• Tax-advantaged assets

• The University of North Georgia Foundation (any school, college, program, or initiative)

• Any IRS-qualified 501(c)(3) public charity such as

  • Healthcare organizations

  • Religious institutions

  • Arts and cultural organizations

  • Any IRS-qualified 501(c)(3) public charity

A contribution is the donation of cash or other assets to your personal charitable giving fund within the UNG Foundation DAF Program. Contributions to your fund are tax-deductible because the University of North Georgia Foundation’s partner, Charityvest, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity, serves as the DAF sponsor and holds all contributions as irrevocable charitable gifts. Non-deductible exceptions include transfers from another donor-advised fund and other contributions that don't qualify for tax deductions under IRS rules.

A grant is a recommendation to distribute funds from your DAF to qualified charitable organizations. Once you've contributed to your fund, you can recommend grants to any of the over 1.6 million tax-exempt organizations in the IRS database. This allows you to decide when and how much tax-deductible giving you want to do during a given tax year without having to commit to specific charitable causes or a giving timeline.

You can choose to invest your UNG Foundation DAF contributions in a diversified, low-cost portfolio. Your funds will always be available to grant, subject to funds available in your grants account. This tax-free potential growth means your charitable dollars have the potential to do even more good over time, maximizing your long-term charitable impact.

You have two investment options within the UNG Foundation DAF platform:

Standard Portfolio - Tracks underlying asset class indices directly, offering broad market exposure across multiple asset classes.

Filtered Portfolio - Provides the same asset class exposure as the Standard Portfolio while excluding companies that participate in controversial industries such as alcohol, gambling, and adult entertainment.

Both portfolios are designed to grow your charitable assets tax-free while invested, with returns subject to market conditions.

Charities receive grants from the UNG Foundation’s partner, Charityvest, Inc., who serves as the DAF sponsoring organization. Grants are delivered via PayPal daily or by check weekly. Unless anonymous, donor information and grant purposes are shared with the charity, subject to IRS donor-advised fund rules.

Yes, transferring some or all of your existing DAF account to a UNG Foundation DAF is as simple as requesting a grant. The University of North Georgia advancement team can assist you with the process. Once the transfer is received, you'll be notified via email and see the funds deposited into your UNG Foundation DAF account.

Keep in mind that DAF-to-DAF transfers are not new charitable contributions, so they are not tax-deductible and won't appear on your year-end tax statement.

Yes, you can use your UNG Foundation DAF to designate gifts toward support of specific funds, projects, or programs at any qualified charity, provided the designation complies with IRS rules for donor-advised fund grants. Simply select "purpose" on the grant page and enter the name, code, or ID of the specific project toward which the charity should direct your grant.

Click the transaction summary on your dashboard to view the status of your grant. The grant status tracker provides detailed information about your grants and updates you every step of the way.

The UNG Foundation is unable to offer refunds for contributions to charitable giving funds. Contributions to the UNG Foundation DAF Program are irrevocable, tax-deductible gifts to Charityvest, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity that serves as the DAF sponsoring organization. The tax benefit occurs at the time that a contribution is made to the fund, not when a grant is disbursed to charity. Therefore, any contributions to your fund must eventually be granted to IRS-recognized charitable organizations.

The University of North Georgia has partnered with Charityvest to offer a modern, tech-forward giving experience. The platform employs bank-level security practices to ensure your charitable funds reach the causes you support, collecting only the minimum necessary data and constantly evolving security measures. Learn more about Charityvest's security practices.

Donor-advised funds, including those held under the UNG Foundation DAF Program, are not eligible to receive QCDs per IRS regulations. Any tax-deductible contribution from an IRA to a DAF will be considered part of your annual taxable IRA distributions.

IRS rules prohibit donor-advised funds from making grants to private foundations. However, the relationship can work in reverse: your private foundation can contribute to a DAF as a complementary giving strategy. This approach allows your foundation to meet minimum distribution requirements while maintaining flexibility in grantmaking timing.

Your UNG Foundation DAF can establish a charitable legacy. You have the option to designate successor advisors, such as children and grandchildren, to continue recommending grants from the fund, or you can name specific charities, such as the University of North Georgia Foundation, as beneficiaries of all or part of your DAF. This makes a DAF an excellent estate planning tool that allows you to pass down both wealth and values to future generations.