Frequently Asked Questions about Donor Advised Funds (DAFs)

A donor advised fund is a low-cost vehicle for making your giving simpler and more tax efficient. JCF can help maximize your charitable deductions while freeing you of the burdens of record-keeping. JCF is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity—so when you contribute to JCF, you are entitled to receive the maximum charitable tax deduction allowed by law. Our funds work like an account dedicated to your giving. JCF’s charitable giving funds give you the opportunity to recommend grants to IRS-qualified charities—both sectarian and nonsectarian—on your own timeline.

Using a JCF donor advised fund is easy and convenient.

Step 1. Contribute

Make a contribution of $5,000 or more in cash or appreciated securities and receive an immediate tax deduction. Learn more about tax deductibility here.

Step 2. Invest

Advise how the assets in your JCF fund are invested, with potential to grow your charitable dollars—and impact—tax free. You can use one of JCF’s preset investment portfolios or customize your own allocation. Read more about our investment options.

Step 3. Grant

Recommend grants to qualified charities in any sector, on your own timeline. Just log in to JCF’s Fundholder portal to support the causes you care about, and we’ll handle the paperwork. Learn more about our grantmaking policies.

When you make a contribution to a JCF donor advised fund, you are making a charitable donation to a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity. Consequently, you are entitled to receive the maximum tax deduction allowed by law.

Cash contributions are deductible in the amount contributed up to 60% of the donor’s adjusted gross income in the year in which the contribution is made.

For gifts of long-term appreciated publicly traded securities (i.e., securities that you have owned for more than one year), a donor may claim a fair market value deduction on the gift date. Furthermore, the donor is not subject to a capital gains tax on the appreciated portion of the contribution.

Gifts of appreciated securities may be deducted up to 30% of adjusted gross income in the tax year in which the contribution is made.  Any excess may be carried forward and deducted up to the 30% limit in the 5-year period after the year of contribution.

More about Tax Benefits of Donor Advised Funds

The process for opening a donor advised fund with Jewish Communal Fund is simple.

Step 1. Fill out an application and make an initial contribution

Fill out the online application and make an irrevocable contribution of $5,000 or more in cash or appreciated securities.

Step 2. Choose Investment Options

Choose an investment allocation for your charitable giving portfolio. Your earnings may grow tax-free.

Step 3. Support your Charities

Make grants online quickly and easily to IRS-approved 501(c)3 public charities of your choice. Donor advised funds provide you with an immediate tax deduction and enable you to have more time to be thoughtful about your giving and philanthropic goals.

You can easily recommend grants by logging into the JCF secure online donor portal.

JCF Fees are charged monthly, based on the daily average balance of the fund. Children’s Funds and Bar and Bat Mitzvah Funds have a reduced annual fee of $36. You can calculate your estimated monthly fee using the JCF Fee Calculator.

Donor advised funds offer a simpler way to manage your giving. Without the administrative burdens of a private foundation, DAFs can provide maximum tax advantages and a flexible timetable for charitable disbursements. View a chart that illustrates the differences and significant advantages of using a DAF.

JCF makes it easy to contribute cash, appreciated securities, credit card, and more to a new or existing fund at JCF. View all the convenient options here.

Donor advised funds may not engage in any fundraising activity where there is an exchange of goods or services for a contribution. This includes but is not limited to concerts, dinners, raffles, and auctions. Learn more about donor advised fund restrictions.

Please email [email protected], who will send you the link to our online wiring instructions form, along with the organization code you will need in order to submit the form.

Thank you for providing the ACH/wiring instructions. The grant(s) for your charity will now be entered into the queue for processing. Due to heavy volume, there is still a significant delay. Once the wire is sent, the contact you provided will receive an email with details about the contributor and purpose of the grant within 1 business day. Thank you for your understanding.

We are so pleased that you have received a wire from the Jewish Communal Fund. The contact person you provided will receive an email with details about the contributor and purpose of the grant. This email is sent shortly after the wire. If you did not receive it, please check with the person who sees the wires.