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Giving through Donor-Advised Funds

A donor-advised fund, or DAF, can be a flexible, easy way to support your favorite organizations. Think of it as a charitable savings account that offers immediate tax benefits and can maximize your long-term philanthropic impact.

How it works

  • Establish a DAF with a sponsoring organization. Most financial institutions now offer DAF partnerships, and your local community foundation also specializes in this area.
  • Make a gift. In addition to cash or publicly traded securities, many DAF sponsoring organizations are equipped to accept gifts of appreciated assets, such as real estate, business interests and non-publicly traded securities. Your gift may be tax deductible.
  • Invest your gift. The sponsoring organization may offer a variety of investment options for your fund, helping it grow tax free.
  • Recommend grants. You then “advise” gifts to qualified charitable organizations like CMU to support the people and causes closest to your heart.
  • Planning ahead. Working with your DAF sponsoring organization, you may designate CMU or other charitable organizations as beneficiaries of your DAF where any remaining balance will be distributed after your passing. This can be an additional way to establish your philanthropic legacy and ensure the money will be used by your favorite charities.

As always, please consult with your personal legal, tax and financial counsel to ensure a DAF is right for you and prior to making a charitable gift.

To discuss your philanthropic goals and how a DAF can help you reach them, contact the Office of Gift Planning.

How to Make a DAF Grant to CMU

Step 1: Contact your DAF sponsor to recommend a one-time or recurring grant to CMU. You may need CMU’s address and tax ID to properly direct the gift:

Address: Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Federal Tax ID Number: 25-0969449

Step 2: Let CMU know at gift-administration@andrew.cmu.edu or 412-268-2582 about your DAF recommendation so we can thank you and ensure that your donation is allocated according to your wishes.

Step 3: Consider naming CMU and your other favorite charities as beneficiaries of your DAF as part of your broader estate planning strategy.

If your donor-advised fund is with Fidelity, Schwab or BNY Mellon, you may recommend a gift to CMU via DAFDirect.

Or, you can use this tool to search for your sponsor and be redirected to its page: