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Donor-advised funds

Donor-advised funds are the fastest growing tax-efficient way to donate money to charity. Find out how your fund could save sight and change lives.

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Luyando’s mother worried for her daughter’s future, but a successful cataract operation gave them both hope.

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See how your donor-advised fund could help

A donor-advised fund (DAF) is a centralised investment account for your donations to charity. It provides a convenient and tax-efficient method to manage your charitable giving. In recent years, DAFs have become an increasingly popular way to manage your contributions to charities and non-profit organisations.

Sightsavers works in more than 30 countries to prevent avoidable blindness and fight for the rights of people with disabilities. We aim to perform to the highest standards, and we strive to be as transparent as possible so you can be sure your money is being used wisely.

A girl reads a pamphlet with her classmates in the background.

Our vision is of a world where no one is blind from avoidable causes, and where people with disabilities can participate equally in society. See what we do

A girl reads a pamphlet with her classmates in the background.
In Malawi, Mary’s sight was restored by a cataract operation.

How to recommend a grant to Sightsavers

If you have a DAF with a participating organisation, (Fidelity Charitable®, Schwab Charitable®, or the BNY Mellon Charitable Gift Fund®) DAF Direct enables you to quickly recommend grants to Sightsavers. If your DAF is managed by another organisation, select them from the list below to contact them directly.

Sightsavers, Inc is an American 501©(3) non-profit organization, EIN 47-4657747.

Make a DAF donation

A grant from your donor-advised fund could:

Fund vital surgery to stop children losing their sight

Thanks to the generosity of people like you, children such as seven-year-old Luyando can have vital eye surgery. Without treatment, cataracts could have stolen her sight. Read Luyando’s story

Jeremiah, an ophthalmic nurse, holds up a vial of medication. He's smiling and wearing specialist eye health equipment around his neck.

Train health staff to treat people for eye conditions

With your help, we could train more eye specialists such as Jeremiah, who travels to remote communities in Zimbabwe to treat patients who have no way to get to hospital.
Read Jeremiah’s story

Young children sit together outside eating porridge

Ensure children with disabilities don’t miss out

Your donor advised fund could support work such as our inclusive education project in Malawi, which is enabling young children with disabilities to attend pre-school.
Read about the project

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In 2023, we helped to provide sight-restoring eye operations for more than 500,000 people, and distributed 60 million treatments to tackle debilitating diseases. Sightsavers also supported more than 5,000 children with disabilities to go to school.

Every gift you give is vital in achieving Sightsavers’ goal of eliminating avoidable blindness around the world and promoting equality for people with disabilities.

Frequently asked questions

  1. To establish a donor-advised fund, individuals, families or businesses can contribute cash, stocks, or other assets and may take an immediate tax deduction.
  2. Those funds are invested for tax-free growth while being overseen by the donor-advised fund sponsoring organisation.
  3. The assets within the fund now legally belong to the sponsoring organisation, but the account holders can advise how the funds are invested and recommend single or recurring donations to qualifying charitable organisations.
  4. Funds in a donor-advised fund can only be used to support organisations that are tax-exempt 501(c)(3) and classified as public charities under 509(a). If these conditions are met and approved by the sponsoring organisation, the recommended donation is made to the charity, such as Sightsavers.

Typically there are two costs associated with donor-advised funds  – an administrative fee and investment fees. These are set by the sponsoring organisation.

No. There is no minimum fund balance required and you may make additional contributions of any amount at any time.

A sponsoring organisation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that sponsors a DAF programme, these include Fidelity Charitable®, Schwab Charitable®, and the BNY Mellon Charitable Gift Fund®.

If you’ve already made a gift to Sightsavers through your donor-advised fund, thank you! Please contact us to ensure we’re able to thank you properly.

Sightsavers, Inc is an American 501©(3) non-profit organization, EIN 47-4657747.

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