Donor-Advised Funds (“DAFs”) are quite the hot topic in the world of philanthropy and impact investing. Seems everyone has a perspective on how DAFs could be better utilized or why they’re underleveraged. Most of the news stories (correctly) center on the topic of DAFs growing in size, but funds often remaining stuck without ever reaching the parties who need this capital the most. Many of these same articles discuss various DAF-related legislative changes that, if implemented, could change the “set it and forget it” DAF dynamic. At LOHAS Advisors, while we applaud the attention being brought to this topic, we think that one path to unleashing the power of DAFs is through impact venture capital, which closes the loop on the impact investing return spectrum as illustrated below.
For those unaware, DAFs are philanthropic and social impact investment tools that allow donors (which could be individuals, families, corporations, etc.) to fund special accounts through DAF “sponsor” organizations. Donors receive immediate U.S. income tax deductions and maintain allocation privileges over the funds’ ultimate distribution. READ MORE