- Q. What’s the minimum amount required to start a donor advised fund?
A. $10,000 is the suggested minimum, but ACT is eager to work with you to accomplish your charitable goals. Contact us to discuss your circumstances.
- Q. How large do my grants have to be and how often can I make them?
A. ACT suggests a $500 minimum for your grant awards. You may recommend as many grants locally, regionally, or nationally as you wish from both the income and principal of your fund.
- Q. What are the fees?
A. There are no start-up fees. After your asset is transferred to us, your funds are pooled in income-producing accounts with income and gains allocated to each fund. The annual fee for administering the fund is 1.1%.
- Q. How do you monitor the investment of my fund?
A. ACT has a Finance and Investment committee with members who offer extensive investment experience. They work with professional investment firms and oversee long and short-term investment decisions on all of our assets. The Finance and Investment committee is available to discuss the Foundation’s overall investment strategy with you as well as the options you have for your fund.
- Q. How permanent is my fund?
A. You have the choice to determine how permanent your fund is. Many people elect to endow their charitable commitments. This decision means that ACT will invest fund assets to ensure that the fund’s purpose can endure in perpetuity. A fund created using this approach is an endowed fund. The principal is left intact and allowed to grow with inflation while the interest income from the fund is used for your grant awards.
- Q. How will I know about the status of my fund?
A. You will receive quarterly statements from us showing all activities from your fund. Additionally, we are developing a password-controlled website so that you can access information on your fund at all times. In the meantime, feel free to call us anytime to inquire about your fund or any other questions you may have.
- Q. Why choose ACT?
A. We know our community. When you choose to invest in the future of our community, you want to work with someone who knows the territory. The broad cross-section of leaders who guide our work lends valuable insight that will help your charitable giving achieve maximum results.
We help you achieve superior tax benefits. Since the IRS considers us a public charity, contributions are eligible for the highest available tax deductions. In most cases, these tax benefits outweigh using your assets to establish your own private foundation.
We make set-up and administration easy. Establishing a fund can be done in less time than it takes to open a bank account. We take care of all the administrative and grantmaking activities, eliminating the need for you to set up a separate institution, formulate policies, file innumerable forms and monitor the status of grant recipients. We save you precious time and money.
We share your interests. We are here to help you become connected to the issues you care about most. Your charitable interests and priorities are important to us because committed, caring citizens are vital to our community’s well-being.
We care about the future. By setting up a fund, you have the ideal opportunity to create a legacy for yourself and for Alexandria.
- Q. Can I give out of the Alexandria region?
A. Yes. Through an advised fund, you can make grant recommendations to any 501(c)(3) public charity in the United States. Sometimes grants can even be made internationally. There is also no limit to the amount of grants that you can recommend.
- Q. Is there a giving option that helps ACT address the Alexandria region’s needs as they arise?
A. The ACT Community Fund and ACT Now Fund leave the annual grantmaking decisions to ACT to respond to pressing community needs. It's a wonderful way to ensure that your gift remains relevant over time.
- Q. Can I specify how my gift is to be used?
A. Yes. An advised fund allows you to review your giving and recommend grants to any IRS qualified charity you wish to help. A designated fund is established to help the organization(s) you specify when you create the fund. Discretionary funds (unrestricted and field of interest) leave the grantmaking decisions to ACT.
- Q. Who can recommend grants from an advised fund?
A. Anyone listed as advisor on the contribution form can recommend grants from the fund. Additional advisors may be added later by the donor to the fund.
- Q. What are the differences between an advised fund at ACT and one at a commercially sponsored gift fund?
A. Although these products are similar in function, ACT offers several advantages over commercially sponsored gift funds. ACT has noteworthy results in meeting the needs of our communities. This means that ACT is extremely knowledgeable on local charitable programs, nonprofit organizations, and local issues affecting our communities. Through ACT’s team and its educational programs, donors have access to this wealth of information to help them with their charitable interests and grants. Philanthropy is ACT’s only business; consequently, its sole focus is on making a difference in our community and with donors.
- Q. Do I have to make a grant each year from my fund?
A. There is no amount that must be distributed annually from your fund.
Q. How do I make a grant recommendation from my fund?
A. If you have a donor advised fund at ACT and would like to make a grant recommendation, please use the Donor Recommendation Form and send it back to our office. You can email it to
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or fax it to 703-739-7787.
The Giving Circle is a diverse group of women who are invested and engaged in their community. They believe that confronting the City’s high priority issues collectively and strategically is the best means to inspire social change. With an annual matching grant of $25,000, ACT has helped The Giving Circle increase their membership and impact around early childhood education. In 2009, ACT and The Giving Circle co-invested in a city-wide playgroup initiative to expand a collaborative playgroup model around the City. 
