Schwab Charitable Sees Surge in Grants to Charity

Schwab Charitable, one of the nation's leading donor-advised fund organizations, reports continuing rapid growth in grants during its fiscal year 2014. Between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014, individuals granted out $822 million to more than 34,500 charities of their choice, an increase of 38% from the prior fiscal year. This rapid growth comes on the heels of a 10% increase in grants for fiscal year 2013.

“Our donors have absorbed the new tax policies that took effect in 2013 and they are encouraged by an improving economy and a strong stock market. As a result, they are increasing their giving and supporting a wide range of causes,” said Kim Laughton, president of Schwab Charitable. “Their donor-advised accounts give them a great way to unlock the value of their investments to give to their favorite charities, reduce their taxes and manage their giving simply and easily in one place.”

Schwab Charitable also reported assets under management of $6.4 billion as of June 30, 2014. More than 45% of the funds contributed to Schwab Charitable accounts have been granted out to charities since inception. Investors have contributed cash or a variety of appreciated assets1 to their Schwab Charitable accounts in order to support their favorite charities over time while realizing the greatest possible tax benefits. Money in the account is invested and grows tax-free until it is granted to charity.

Schwab Charitable Expands Investment Options

Schwab Charitable also announced that it will expand the investment options available to donors by adding a new Income Index Pool in August. This will bring the total number of investment pools to fourteen, including four that are allocated across multiple asset classes and ten dedicated to a single asset class. The underlying mutual fund for the new Income Index Pool is the Dreyfus Bond Market Index Basic (DBIRX), chosen for its strong historical performance and low operating expenses.

"Underlying our investment pools is one of the largest selections of non-proprietary funds of any national donor-advised fund,” says Barbara Benware, Vice President of Investment Oversight. “Our commitment to choosing best-in-class investment options from a variety of fund families gives our donors a wide range of investment choices to fulfill their giving strategies.”

RIAs Support Interest in Giving

The number of Schwab Charitable accounts grew 17% in Fiscal Year 2014, as investors showed increasing interest in simple, tax-efficient charitable giving. Registered investment advisors (RIAs) have responded by making charitable planning an important part of financial planning and wealth management. According to the 2014 Independent Advisor Outlook from Charles Schwab, charitable planning is one of the top three services offered by RIAs to supplement their core investment advisory business. Charitable planning now outranks estate planning in popularity, and falls just behind long-term financial planning and advice on employee-sponsored retirement accounts.2

“Charitable planning is becoming a natural part of the financial planning and wealth management discussion between independent investment advisors and their clients,” says Laughton. “Since many clients have appreciated assets in their portfolios, donor-advised funds are a natural solution to help investors simultaneously reduce their taxes and maximize the amount they are able to give to charity. Advisors strengthen their relationships with clients by taking part in such decisions because charitable causes and organizations matter a great deal to their clients.”

About Schwab Charitable

Created as a national donor-advised fund with a mission to increase charitable giving nationwide, Schwab Charitable has received over $9.8 billion in contributions and has facilitated over $4.4 billion in grants to charities on behalf of its donors since inception. Serving a wide range of philanthropic investors, account sizes range from $5,000 to more than $800 million. Schwab Charitable has been a pioneer in enabling RIAs to manage the investments of donor-advised accounts and remains a leading provider of such professionally managed accounts.3 Schwab Charitable also offers a private foundation conversion service for private foundations considering donor-advised funds as a complementary or alternative charitable vehicle. For more information, visit schwabcharitable.org.

Account holders should carefully consider information contained in the prospectus for the registered underlying mutual funds, including investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. You can request a prospectus by calling Schwab Charitable Fund at (800) 746-6216.Please read the prospectus carefully before making contributions or recommending investment of funds.

Past performance cannot guarantee future results. Market fluctuations may cause the value of investment fund shares held in a donor-advised account to be worth more or less than the value of the original contribution to the funds.

A donor's ability to claim itemized deductions may be subject to further limitations depending upon the donor's specific tax situation and donors should consult their tax advisors. Schwab Charitable does not provide specific individualized legal or tax advice. Please consult a qualified legal or tax advisor where such advice is necessary or appropriate.

Schwab Charitable is the name used for the combined programs and services of Schwab Charitable Fund, an independent nonprofit organization. The Fund has entered into service agreements with certain affiliates of The Charles Schwab Corporation.

©2014 Schwab Charitable Fund. All Rights Reserved. (0714-4599)

1 Contributions of real estate, private equity or other non-cash assets are accepted via a charitable intermediary, with proceeds of your donation transferred to your donor-advised account upon liquidation. This intermediary considers donations on a case-by-case basis, and assets typically must be valued at $250,000 or more. Call the Fund for more information at 800-746-6216.

2 About the Independent Advisor Outlook Study: The current Independent Advisor Outlook Study reflects the opinions of 720 independent advisors representing an estimated $180 billion in assets under management. The current wave set out to better understand advisors’ perspectives about the opportunities and challenges they see with respect to the next generation of clients, including the ways in which they are planning to augment their strategies for business growth and their client service models. The Independent Advisor Outlook Study, conducted for Schwab Advisor Services by Koski Research, has a 3.65% margin of error. Koski Research is not affiliated with nor employed by Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. All data are self-reported by study participants and are not verified or validated. Independent investment advisors participated in the study between April 15 and May 6, 2014.

3 Professionally-managed accounts are available only through independent investment advisors working with Schwab Advisor ServicesTM, a business segment of The Charles Schwab Corporation serving independent investment advisors and includes the custody, trading and support services of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.. While donors may recommend an advisor, the Fund must approve the recommendation. Advisors must meet certain eligibility requirements and adhere to Fund fee and investment guidelines. You may request a copy of the investment guidelines by calling us at (800) 746-6216.