The Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative’s (DAFRC) mission is to conduct empirical research that enhances the public understanding of donor advised funds (DAFs). As DAFs continue to play an increasingly central role in charitable giving, the need for accurate, neutral, and accessible information about DAFs is increasingly essential.

For nearly 20 years, the National Philanthropic Trust (NPT) collected data to expand public knowledge about DAFs and produced an annual report that served as a foundational source of data for the nonprofit sector. In 2025, NPT licensed its historic data to the DAFRC. Beginning in 2025, the Annual DAF Report will be independently produced by the DAFRC.

The DAFRC will manage all aspects of the report, including design, sponsor vetting, data collection, analysis, and publication. The DAFRC will continue to report the number of DAF accounts, contributions received, grants made, total charitable assets, payout rates, and average account size. The report will be provided free of cost as a public service to the sector in a way that supports broad understanding and practical application by a wide variety of philanthropic stakeholders.

Bringing the Annual DAF Report under the DAFRC’s research agenda represents a natural extension of the collaborative’s work.

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