Schwab Charitable Fund was founded with the support of Charles Schwab & Co., but is a separate entity from The Charles Schwab Corporation and its affiliates. Charles Schwab and its affiliates do provide certain investment management, administrative, and recordkeeping services to the Schwab Charitable Fund.

Because Schwab Charitable Fund is a separate legal entity from Charles Schwab, a Charles Schwab Branch or Investment Center cannot open a account. Forms must be mailed to Schwab Charitable Fund so that we have your signatures on file. (We do offer fill-and-print applications to expedite the process.)

No. Schwab Charitable Fund is a separate and distinct organization from Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

If your donor–advised account balance is $250,000 or more, you may take advantage of our professionally-advised account feature, which allows you to nominate your investment advisor to actively manage the assets of the account and invest in a broad range of securities, including individual stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. For accounts not using the professionally–advised account feature, you are welcome to name your investment advisor as a Nominator. Nominators can recommend the rebalancing of assets among the investment pools and recommend grants on your behalf. They may also receive key correspondence on the account – such as quarterly account statements and contribution receipts – if you so request.

Individuals, as well as organizations or businesses, can open an account with a minimum of $5,000. After the initial contribution, you may make contributions of $500 or more at a time. The Contribute to an Account form is available online.

We will mail you quarterly statements that itemize the contributions made into your account and list the value of your account. This letter also serves as your receipt for tax purposes. If you recommend a grant to charity, you will also receive a copy of the letter we mail to the charity with the grant check, once the grant is approved.

Yes. We encourage our donors to see their account as a vehicle with which to leave a lasting legacy of giving. You may name one or more designated individuals as the successor(s) on your account, to take over as donor-advisors when you are no longer able to, or no longer want to.

Alternatively, you may designate a specified charity as the beneficiary, and the account will be distributed to the charity. Accounts with no successor designated at the time of the original donor's death will be contributed to the Philanthropy Fund. This fund is managed by the Board of Directors. The Philanthropy Fund makes charitable grants and sponsors educational programs. Donors may also contribute directly to the Philanthropy Fund at any time.

If your children are of legal age, you can get them involved immediately by listing them as donor-advisors on your account. In that capacity, they can recommend grants to charities and will receive copies of all statements and newsletters. If you would like to name your children to succeed you as donor-advisor to the account after your death, you can name them as successors of the account.

You can contribute cash and publicly traded securities, including stocks, most mutual-fund shares, and bonds. Some restricted or privately held stock may be accepted. Cash contributions must be made in U.S. dollars and delivered by check or wire only. Contribution Forms are available online.

Schwab Charitable Fund is also able to accept proceeds from tax-deductible contributions of real estate, private equity investments, or tangible personal property.¹ Call us for more information at 800-746-6216.

The Pension Protection Act of 2006 included a provision that allowed individuals to contribute directly to charity from an IRA, but not to a donor-advised account. This provision allowing such contributions has now expired, although Congress may revisit the issue in the future. One may, however, designate a donor-advised account as the beneficiary to a portion or all of an IRA. We encourage consultation with a qualified tax attorney to assess the tax consequences of utilizing an IRA for charitable giving.

Generally, Fair Market Value (for purposes of the charitable contribution deduction) is determined on the date that contributions are received by Schwab Charitable Fund. In the case of contributions of stock, Fair Market Value is the average of the high and the low for the day that the assets were received by Schwab Charitable Fund. In the case of contributions of mutual funds, Fair Market Value is the closing price on the date of receipt. Securities are typically liquidated the following business day after receipt, so the Fair Market Value for tax purposes may be different from the amount of sales proceeds credits to your account.

Typically, your account is open and funded within 24 hours from the receipt of your contribution.On some occasions (particularly if assets are being transferred from a financial institution other than Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.), the process can take from two to six weeks. If the assets are coming from another financial institution and you are concerned about timing, we recommend you contact your broker and encourage the firm to expedite the transfer.

Yes. Contribution statements are mailed for each contribution.

Yes, for Accounts of $250,000 or more, you may elect the professionally–advised account feature and recommend an independent Investment Advisor to provide investment management for the account. Schwab Charitable Fund must approve the advisor to manage the assets in your account. Assets may be invested in a wide variety of publicly traded securities, including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, in any combination, and are subject to Schwab Charitable investment policies and oversight.

No. At this time we have chosen to focus our efforts on ensuring the simplicity and efficiency of our donor-advised fund.

No. Funds contributed to a donor-advised account are charitable contributions and belong to Schwab Charitable Fund. All account earnings accrue within your account, thereby increasing the amount that you can recommend for grants to public charities. The earnings in your donor-advised account do not increase any tax deduction you can claim for contributing to the account, since you receive your deduction at the time of contribution. Distributions from the account whether of principal or earnings can be made only to qualified charitable organizations.

For information on fees, please review the Pricing & Account Minimums Section

You can recommend a grant online once you have logged into the Donor Center, or you can fill out the Nominate a Grant to Charity form and fax or mail it to us.

Tax laws require that your charitable contribution must be irrevocable and unconditional in order for you to receive the associated tax benefits. Any assets contributed to Schwab Charitable Fund belong to Schwab Charitable Fund and you have relinquished control of them. However, your role as donor-advisor to those funds does allow you to recommend how Schwab Charitable Funds are invested and distributed.

Grants can be made to any IRS-approved public charity. Approved organizations are U.S.-based organizations that qualify as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and are public charities as defined by Section 509(a) of the code. Schwab Charitable Fund website provides you research through CharitySearch, from GuideStar®, a database of over 1 million IRS-registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations. Note: All grant recommendations are subject to the due diligence process and approval of Schwab Charitable Fund.

$50 is the minimum grant amount.

If we have worked with the charity before, the check will ordinarily be issued within five business days. If we have not granted to the charity before, we perform due diligence on your behalf. In this case the check is typically issued within 10 business days.

The grant check will bear the name of Schwab Charitable Fund; however, the accompanying letter will recognize the donor or account name on the top of the letterhead (per your instructions) who recommended the particular grant. You may also remain anonymous if you wish.

You will receive a copy of the letter sent to the charity along with the grant check. If for any reason the grant was unable to be issued, we will contact you by phone as quickly as possible.

Schwab Charitable Fund takes great care to comply with all laws governing and IRS guidelines affecting donor-advised funds and grant making. Schwab Charitable Fund will not approve any grant that:

• Is to a United States organization that is not recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity;
• Is directed to a charity not based in the United States;¹
• Fulfills a donor's pre-existing pledge to an organization;
• Provides benefit to the donor or individual;
• Supports lobbying, political campaigns or other political activities;
• Supports a charitable event that would constitute a quid-pro-quo arrangement (e.g., tickets for a fundraiser dinner.)

For more information, please see our Policies and Procedures for donor-advised accounts.

• Go to the donor login page
• Enter your Social Security Number or user ID, as well as your password, in the Donor Login box in the upper right corner.
• If you do not have your Password, please call us at (800) 746-6216.

Please call us at (800) 746-6216 and we will be happy to assist you.

Yes. Your personal information is only accessible to you and Schwab Charitable Fund.