DAFgiving360 announced its donors granted $9.9 billion to more than 165,000 charitable organizations in 2025, marking the most active year in the organization’s history and a 28% increase in dollars granted compared with 2024. The San Francisco-based donor-advised fund provider said the results extend a streak of sustained growth, with 2025 representing the fourth consecutive year of double-digit grant growth.
The organization reported that donors supported nonprofits through roughly 1.5 million grants during the year, a 20% increase year over year, translating to an average of more than $27 million granted per day. DAFgiving360 also said donor-advised funds are influencing both the frequency and structure of giving, citing donor survey results indicating 73% of donors say they give more because of their DAF account. The median grant size was $500, and the organization said 74% of 2025 grants were made without a designated purpose, giving recipient charities discretion over how to deploy funds.
DAFgiving360 highlighted the growing use of automated and recurring giving tools, reporting that 38% of all grants in 2025 were set up as recurring grants. The organization framed that trend as beneficial for both donors seeking consistent impact and nonprofits seeking predictable support.
The report also pointed to an increase in donors using non-cash assets to fund charitable giving. DAFgiving360 said 74% of contributions to accounts in 2025 came in the form of non-cash assets such as stocks, real estate, or cryptocurrency, and noted that appreciated assets can potentially expand the pool of funds available for charitable grants. It added that investment appreciation inside DAF accounts contributed meaningfully to future giving capacity, estimating that investment growth in 2025 created an additional $8 billion available for grants to charity.
DAFgiving360 said donor grantmaking accelerated during key moments, including the year-end giving season. On Giving Tuesday, December 2, 2025, donors made more than 24,000 grants totaling $80 million in support of more than 15,000 charities, representing a 37% year-over-year increase in dollars granted on that day. The organization also reported heightened disaster-related giving, saying donors provided more than $200 million through nearly 56,000 grants to charities recommended by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy for short- and long-term relief efforts, up 16% from the prior year.
Donors also broadened where they give, according to the report. DAFgiving360 said 54% of donors supported at least one charity they had not previously backed in 2025, and that donors supported 11% more charities overall compared with 2024, including 29,000 new charitable organizations that had not previously received support from DAFgiving360 donors. Since the organization’s founding in 1999, DAFgiving360 said its donors have supported nearly 300,000 charities through $50 billion in grants.
DAFgiving360 additionally emphasized the role of financial advisors in donor-advised fund activity, noting donors work with more than 5,200 financial advisors and that 77% of assets in DAF accounts in 2025 were associated with an advisor. The organization said it expects donor generosity from donor-advised funds to continue at a heightened pace in 2026.
KEY QUOTE:
“Our donors’ record grantmaking in 2025 underscores their extraordinary generosity and the trust they place in our donor-advised fund as a powerful vehicle for giving. Time and again, DAFgiving360 donors have demonstrated that philanthropy is not only a response to urgent needs, but a sustained commitment to supporting the causes and communities they care about most.” “We’re proud to help donors achieve maximum charitable impact by providing tools that make giving both meaningful and effective, and we look forward to witnessing the impact our donors will continue to make this year and in years to come,” continued Sunwoo.
Julie Sunwoo, President, DAFgiving360
