Skip to content
July 27, 2021

New Research Suggests DAF Payout Is Worse Than We Thought

We must prevent our charitable system from being misused by those with the means and motivation to do so.

By Helen Flannery, Chuck Collins

Shutterstock
Share:

A recent report from the Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF) about donor-advised funds (DAFs) indicates that the money flowing out to charities from these giving vehicles is astonishingly slow. Behind the bullish aggregate payout rates reported by donor-advised fund sponsors, the more generous funds are providing cover for many funds that give very little, and often nothing at all. And this held true even during 2020, when many nonprofits faced their greatest challenges in memory.

…

Read the full article at Inside Philanthropy.

Originally in Inside Philanthropy.

Helen Flannery is director of research at the Charity Reform Initiative at the Institute for Policy Studies. Chuck Collins directs the Charity Reform Initiative and the author of “The Wealth Hoarders: How Billionaires Pay Millions to Hide Trillions.” They are co-authors of the report, Gilded Giving 2020: How Wealth Inequality Distorts Philanthropy and Imperils Democracy.

For press inquiries, contact IPS Deputy Communications Director Olivia Alperstein at olivia@ips-dc.org. For recent press statements, visit our Press page.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Further reading

Articles | Oct 26, 2026

'Long Live International Solidarity!'

Words from La Liga Sindical Obrera Mexicanas representatives Julio César Flores López and Adriana Barbosa Carranza at our 2026 Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Awards
Articles | Oct 26, 2026

‘Permitting Reform’ Is a Giveaway to Data Centers and Fossil Fuels

Making it easier to build data centers and fossil fuel infrastructure benefits no one except Big Tech and Big Oil. A bipartisan group of Senators wants to do it anyway.
Articles | Oct 23, 2026

Americans Should Reject All State-Sanctioned Murder, Live-Streamed or Not

Last year, the US was 1 of only 17 countries to record an official execution.
See all Articles

Our project sites