DAFs hosted by community foundation consistently maintain higher distribution rates than other fund types. Just about half of all respondents reported an aggregate DAF distribution rate of 10 or more percent. Overall distribution rates tend to be higher at larger community foundations, who have a higher proportion of both DAFs and non-endowed funds than their smaller peers. (n=190)

With fundraising totals decreasing across the field while grantmaking increased, DAF flow rates, or grant to gift ratio, increased for all size cohorts. 43 percent of all respondents reported a DAF flow rate higher than 100 percent, meaning those community foundations all granted more from their DAFs in 2022 than they brought in as gifts. This is markedly higher than 2021, when roughly 20 percent of respondents reported flow rates higher than 100 percent.

DAFs are both a significant source of gift and grant activity for community foundations. They also tend to reflect broader growth trends. DAF asset levels and fundraising totals both decreased from 2021 levels, while grantmaking totals continued to climb. (n=193)

Large community foundations tend to house more DAFs, which can be high touch in nature and require additional staff to grow and manage, than their smaller counterparts.

Averages were used to total 100 percent. (n=173)

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Smaller, emerging, and growing community foundations tend have higher proportions of their assets in endowed funds. Larger community foundations, focused on diversifying their portfolios and providing flexible, specialized options for donors to engage in philanthropy in different ways, will also tend to have more pass-through funds that can be activated in full, any time.

The largest community foundations in the country, many of which serve large, densely populated urban centers and large numbers of high and ultra-high net worth donors, achieve an economy of scale that is reflected in their high fundraising and grantmaking totals. (n=218)

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Nearly half of all respondents experienced a moderate or dramatic decrease in fundraising (defined as a decrease of 10 or more percent) from 2021 levels, and the median community foundation experienced a one percent year over year reduction in fundraising.

The table below reflects the long-term growth in assets, gifts, and grants among the largest 100 community foundations in the country, whose data are available for all 10 years represented. The collective asset total for this group decreased by 10 percent from 2021, a reflection of the overall field and of a volatile economic climate. Notably, this cohort’s collective fundraising total decreased by 21 percent following a significant jump, while grantmaking among this group increased by 17 percent, continuing a long-term trend of continued growth in giving by community foundations.

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