Donor giving surged 34% from 2024 at DAFgiving360, the former Schwab Charitable, according to the organization’s 2025 fiscal year granting report.
That translates to $8.9 billion granted to charitable organizations through donor-advised funds (DAFs), a news release revealed. DAFgiving360 noted that 78% of assets in DAF accounts are associated with an advisor.
“Our donors continue to show that generosity remains a top priority, and that their DAF accounts are effective tools to help them achieve their charitable giving goals,” DAFgiving360 President Julie Sunwoo said in the release. “This year’s record giving reflects their unwavering commitment to supporting charities and causes that matter to them, granting not only in moments of crisis but also in response to broader needs across the philanthropic landscape.”
The increase in giving over the 12 months ended June 30 demonstrates how donor-advised funds are enabling individuals and families to give more strategically — especially when advisors help with strategic planning, according to the release.
DAFgiving360 donors made 1.4 million grants to 155,000 charitable organizations, a 19% increase in grants year over year. During the fiscal year, donors granted over $24 million per day to charities, and 12 grants were made to charities for each contribution to DAFgiving360.
Donations in response to natural disasters totaled $148 million during the fiscal year. The generous support for those affected by disasters continues; as fiscal year 2026 gets underway, DAFgiving360 donors have already given over $4 million for relief and recovery for Texas flood victims.
Donors gave to a much wider array of charities; 1 out of 7 organizations funded last year previously had not received funds through DAFgiving365.
The number of grants that did not specify a purpose increased 20%, which allows nonprofits to quickly use the funds where needed most, according to the release. Such flexible grants, which make up more than 70% of all grants, can be especially helpful after disasters.
During fiscal year 2025, 63% of contributions to DAFgiving360 were non-cash assets such as stocks, real estate and private business interests. Such donations eliminate the capital gains tax donors would incur if they sold the assets and donated the cash proceeds, effectively increasing the amount available for grants to charity by as much as 20%.
Assets contributed to a DAF account can be invested for tax-free growth, including in socially responsible investment pools and low-cost index pools. Investment growth created an additional $4 billion available for grants to charity in fiscal year 2025.
The number of financial advisors working with DAFgiving360 donors increased 20% in 2025 to 4,700, and 78% of assets in DAF accounts were associated with an advisor. During the market volatility and economic uncertainty at the beginning of 2025, many donors and their advisors developed strategies like bunching gifts to meet their goals for giving.
Advisors are including charitable planning and DAFs as priorities in their practices as clients express increasing charitable intentions, and 86% of advisor firms now offer charitable planning, according to Schwab’s 2025 RIA Benchmarking Study.
“More than 70% of DAFgiving360 donors say they give more because of their DAF account,” Sunwoo said. “DAFs encourage strategic planning, tax-smart decisions, and generous behaviors that lead to a bigger impact on donors’ favorite charities.”
Giving Tuesday in December 2024 remained a big day for donations, with DAFgiving360 donors designating 22,000 grants worth over $69 million to charity on that one day. But DAFgiving360 donor said its educational efforts and new tools and resources, including the Giving with Impact podcast and webinar series, have helped to spread giving to other times in the year.
During fiscal year 2025, 38% of grants were scheduled as recurring, providing continuous aid to the designated charities.
Established in 1999 as Schwab Charitable, DAFgiving360 has disbursed over $44 billion to more than 280,000 charities. Donors granted to nearly 14,000 more charities than the previous year.
