National Philanthropic Trust Awarded $1 Billion in 2018

The National Philanthropic Trust has announced that it awarded more than $1 billion in grants from its donor-advised funds in 2018, an increase of 12 percent from the $914.8 million it awarded in 2017. The independent DAF sponsor made 46,452 grants in 2018 — a 28 percent increase from 2017 — in support of a wide range of charities and nonprofits, including those working to assist victims of the California wildfires, tackle social justice issues in Chicago, and promote children's health in Beijing. The organization also announced that the number of DAF accounts it administers jumped 24 percent, to nearly eight thousand, while charitable contributions to its funds increased 8 percent, to $2.6 billion. "The number of grants from NPT donors grew 28 percent. For the first time, the value of NPT's grants exceeded $1 billion in 2018, reaffirming DAF donors' heightened engagement and commitment to charitable giving," said NPT chief executive Eileen Heisman. "New tax laws fueled interest in donor-advised funds. We expect grantmaking will continue to grow as new donors harness the power and flexibility of their donor-advised funds to support their favorite causes.