A donor advised fund (DAF) is a low-cost vehicle for making your giving simpler and more tax efficient. JCF can help maximize your charitable tax 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.

With greater tax deductibility and without the legal and accounting costs of a private foundation, donor advised funds have become the fastest-growing charitable giving vehicle.

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.

How Does a Donor Advised Fund Work?

How to contribute to a donor advised fund?

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.

How to invest the charitable dollars in your donor advised fund?

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.

How to make grants from your donor advised fund to your favorite charities

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.

Why establish a donor advised fund with JCF?

For 50 years, we have focused exclusively on donor advised funds and charitable giving. Now with nearly $3 billion in charitable assets under management, Jewish Communal Fund is among the largest and most active donor advised funds in the U.S., and we are proud to support the Jewish community of greater New York. In addition to our Fundholders’ giving, each year we make a Community Gift of $2 million to UJA-Federation of New York, and our trustees donate millions of dollars from our endowment, the Special Gifts Fund, to community institutions.