A smarter way to give – the Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund (CGF)
The CGF is a donor-advised fund—a flexible, charitable giving vehicle that is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity. The CGF provides turnkey administration, flexibility in your giving, online access and the ability to create a lasting charitable impact by allowing you to devote more time and energy to your causes without being weighed down by administrative concerns.
Benefits
When you use the CGF, you can:
- Move away from “checkbook giving” to formalize your charitable giving strategy
- Receive a current-year income tax deduction for contributions made into your account
- Engage your family in your giving with flexible account privileges
- Maximize the potential impact of your donation through professional asset management, with tax-free compounding of investment returns
- Donate appreciated assets such as restricted stock, real estate, timberland, farms and ranches, or gas, oil and mineral rights1 and other nonfinancial assets without incurring capital gains taxes
- Manage all of your account activities online or with the assistance of your advisor
- Transition a family foundation to a flexible giving vehicle eliminating higher costs, increased administration, and fiduciary burdens of maintaining a foundation.
- Access the Donor Portal directly via a hyperlink for single/direct login to your CGF dashboard — this allows for seamless access between your Bank of America accounts and to your donor-advised funds
A legacy of charitable experience
Since 1955, donors have depended on the Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund to support the organizations and causes that are most important to them.. As one of the largest trustees of charitable assets in the country, we draw on deep resources and experience to help you define your philanthropic purpose and develop your giving strategy. Your advisor will work closely with you to determine how the CGF can help you reach your charitable goals as part of your overall wealth plan.
Professional investment management
We offer the potential to grow your contribution through the guidance of some of the industry’s most experienced investment managers at our firm. The CGF portfolios have been constructed to help meet the specific needs, time frames and goals of your charitable giving strategy. You have a choice of eight investment objectives, from fixed income to appreciation.
Under each asset allocation model, donors may choose a:
- Actively managed sustainable portfolio
- Passive (all ETF) portfolio
Ability to accept complex assets
Our unique experience allows us to accept a broad range of donor assets, offering you optimal flexibility in seeking to maximize the value of your contribution. If you have a highly appreciated asset that you'd like to contribute, we'll call upon our extensive resources to explore the most tax-efficient contribution to your CGF account.
Examples of complex assets include:
- Restricted stock and closely held business interests1
- Real estate, timberland, farms and ranches1
- Gas, oil and mineral rights1
Flexible, customized giving options
The CGF provides flexibility to support your charitable giving and goals. You can:
- Personalize your account name
- Protect your privacy by making anonymous grant recommendations
- Authorize an unlimited number of individuals to advise on your account
- Actively engage your children and grandchildren in philanthropy
Convenient online access
You can manage your account easily online at any time and from anywhere.
Our portal allows you to:
- View account balances, grant history, pending grants, investment performance and quarterly account statements
- Make grant recommendations based on your giving strategy
- Decide when to make grant recommendations, where to direct them and how much to grant
- Set up a single grants or recurring grants
- Research grantees easily with the GuideStar® database, which contains over 1.8 million IRS-recognized charitable organizations2
- Make contributions to your account and update your investment objectives objectives.
Streamlined administration
The CGF handles all administrative details and regulatory reporting, so you're free to devote more time and energy to the causes you care most about. CGF catalogs receipts for contributions to your account and makes them available online and through your advisor for more efficient tax preparation. Our transparent fee schedule and statements make it easy for you to understand and anticipate the total fees that will be deducted automatically from your account.
How to get started
Opening an account requires a minimal time commitment, making it easy to get started.
- Minimum Initial Irrevocable Contribution $25,000
- Minimum Additional Irrevocable Contributions $250
For more Information
- Contact your advisor.
- Call the Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund team at 888.703.3436.
- Email us at charitablegiftfund@bofa.com.
1 Considered on a case-by-case basis.
2 Bank of America, N.A., is an FDIC Member and is not affiliated with Guidestar(R).
Donor-advised fund and private foundation management are provided by Bank of America Private Bank, a division of Bank of America N.A., Member FDIC and a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation.
Donor-advised fund management is provided by Bank of America Private Bank, a division of Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC and a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation (“BofA Corp.”). Trust, fiduciary, and investment management services are provided by wholly owned banking affiliates of BofA Corp., including Bank of America, N.A. and its agents. Brokerage services may be performed by wholly owned brokerage affiliates of BofA Corp., including Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (also referred to as “MLPF&S” or “Merrill”). Merrill is a registered broker-dealer, a registered investment adviser and Member SIPC.
