2020 Annual Report

Assets

Our assets are held in charitable funds established by donors with unique charitable goals and interests. Nearly half of our assets are held in donor-advised funds. The following reflects our total assets as of December 31, 2020.

Total: $4,311,845,922

*Other may include charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, unrestricted funds and administrative funds.

Contributions

Donors contributed more to their charitable funds in 2020 than in any other year in our history, donating $683 million in cash, publicly traded securities and complex assets.

Total: $683,127,104

*Other may include charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, unrestricted funds and administrative funds.

Grants

Donors use their charitable funds to grant to their favorite causes. In 2020, donors granted more from their funds than ever before, giving $566 million to nonprofit organizations across the country.

Total: $566,394,328

*Other may include charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, unrestricted funds and administrative funds.

Funds

Donors established 644 new charitable funds in 2020. Most new donors chose donor-advised funds as their preferred giving vehicle. This chart shows our total funds as of December 31, 2020.

Total: 5,618

*Other may include charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, unrestricted funds and administrative funds.

Transactions include contributions into charitable funds and grants out of charitable funds.

Donor-Advised Funds

A donor-advised fund is a separate account for charitable giving.

In 2020, donors immediately responded to unprecedented needs, granting fast and furiously to nonprofit organizations across the country. As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were becoming evident in April, donors granted 170% more dollars over April 2019. In June, we processed nearly double the amount of grants compared to June 2019, as donors used their funds to respond to social justice causes and other critical community issues.

Overall, our donors are incredibly active. For every dollar that comes into a fund, 91% goes right back out to work in communities, and what remains is invested to grow for future needs.

Total Assets: $2,117,586,394

3,860 Donor-Advised Funds

From coast to coast and throughout the Midwest, our donors use their donor-advised funds to support their favorite charities.

Our combined donor-advised fund payout rate, which is the ratio between grants and end-of-year assets, was 16% in 2020.

Agency Funds

Agency funds help nonprofit organizations build long-term assets, serving as a home for reserve funds.

Total Assets: $1,286,442,674

1,020 Agency Funds

Field-Of-Interest Funds

Field-of-interest funds support a specific cause or community. Many of our field-of-interest funds are set up to carry out a donor's legacy after they pass, with an advisory committee providing oversight.

Total Assets: $157,574,654

205 Field-of-Interest Funds

Designated Funds

Designated funds support one specific charity, staggering donations to the charity over time. Designated funds are especially popular with donors who choose to make a charitable distribution from an IRA.

Total Assets: $127,288,725

136 Designated Funds

Scholarship Funds

Through scholarship funds, donors provided $3.7 million in direct assistance to more than 2,000 students for the 2020-21 school year.

Donors who establish scholarship funds determine the criteria for their scholarship awards and can serve on selection committees.

Total Assets: $55,629,086

282 Scholarship Funds

Corporate Giving

We work with employers of all sizes who want to cultivate a corporate culture of giving. Many companies choose to set up corporate donor-advised funds to serve as their corporate foundations. We offer a suite of services including matching gift programs, disaster relief and employee hardship programs, and strategic planning assistance.

While companies large and small faced many challenges in 2020, our corporate donors and their employees continued to give. Indeed, more than 4,000 employees used their employers' matching dollars to donate $6 million to their favorite charities.

Corporate Giving in 2020: $20,112,945

Grantmaking Services

In 2020, 34 local and national funders tapped into our grantmaking expertise. We take a custom, behind-the-scenes approach with each of our grantmaking clients. Collectively, they hold nearly $360 million in assets.

We help private foundations, businesses and other funders manage all aspects of their charitable giving by equipping them with the tools and resources they need to make an impact. Grantmaking clients also work with us to hone their giving strategies and engage multiple generations in their philanthropy.

Totaling More Than $47 Million

Investments

Assets in charitable funds are invested and grow tax-free. Donors can customize their funds' investments to meet their charitable goals.

We currently work with more than 489 financial advisors who manage their clients' charitable assets.