WaterStone
WaterStone is a financial company providing financial Advising, wealth management and christian giving solutions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What WaterStone does
WaterStone is a financial company providing financial Advising, wealth management and christian giving solutions.
WaterStone firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WaterStone
- Legal name
- Christian Community Foundation, Inc. dba WaterStone
- Website
- http://waterstone.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- WaterStone is a financial company providing financial Advising, wealth management and christian giving solutions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WaterStone industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Donor-Advised Funds and Charitable Giving Services
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors (BPAGAKAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI), Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH)
Keywords
Where WaterStone is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
WaterStone business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Non-Traditional Asset Contribution Fees: One-time incoming fee of 3% on non-traditional assets (real estate, privately held business interests, oil & gas) based on appraised value, collected at liquidation. For cryptocurrency, a reduced 1% incoming fee is charged.
- Annual Administration Fees (Giving Fund / CAF): Fees assessed quarterly on daily asset balances, tiered by asset amount: 1.00% on first $1M, 0.80% on next $2M, 0.50% above $5M, with a $395 minimum. This is the primary recurring revenue stream based on assets under management.
- Charitable Trust Administration Fees: Fees for trust administration services, tiered by trust size: 0.76% on $250K–$1M, 0.52% on $1M–$5M, 0.16% above $5M for standard CRTs; and 0.95%–0.20%–0.075% tiered for Net Income CRTs. Minimum annual fee of $1,200–$1,500 depending on trust type.
- Special Service Fees: Additional fees for special handling ($25 cost plus), credit card contributions (3.00%), e-check contributions (0.75%), grants to non-qualified organizations ($100), and outside investment advisor management (for funds over $200K minimum balance).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Quarterly | Giving Fund / Charity Advised Fund: 1.00% on first $1M, 0.80% on next $2M, 0.50% above $5M; Minimum $395 |
| Subscription | Annual | Charitable Remainder Trust (Standard): 0.76% on $250K–$1M, 0.52% on $1M–$5M, 0.16% above $5M; Minimum $1,200 |
| Subscription | Annual | Net Income Charitable Remainder Trust: 0.95% on $250K–$1M, 0.65% on $1M–$5M, 0.075% above $5M; Minimum $1,500 |
| Subscription | Annual | Pooled Trust Placement: 1.00% on first $100K, 0.75% on next $4M, 0.50% on next $5M, 0.25% above $10M; Minimum $100K |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Cryptocurrency gifts: 1% incoming fee |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
WaterStone product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WaterStone operates as a faith-based charitable giving platform that enables high-net-worth Christian donors to make tax-efficient contributions of cash and complex non-traditional assets (real estate, business interests, appreciated securities, commodities, and cryptocurrency) via donor-advised funds (Giving Fund), charitable remainder trusts, and pooled trusts. The organization accepts the assets, manages compliance, due diligence, and grant processing, and distributes grants to charities aligned with its Statement of Faith, providing donors with an immediate charitable deduction and tax-free asset growth.
Product overview
WaterStone is a Christian nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive charitable giving platform centered around Donor Advised Funds (Giving Funds) and Charitable Trusts. The platform encompasses three main product families: (1) Giving Vehicles — Giving Fund (DAF), Charity Advised Fund, Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT), and Charitable Pooled Trust (CPT); (2) Charitable Asset Acceptance — Real Estate, Business Interests, Appreciated Securities, Cash & Marketable Securities, and Cryptocurrency; and (3) Administrative Services — Online Fund View portal for account management and grant recommendations. The ecosystem is designed to help donors transform complex assets into tax-efficient charitable contributions that grow tax-free and are distributed to qualified charities over time.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Donor-advised fund assets industry-wide have nearly doubled to over $326 billion, with WaterStone operating in this expanding market
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use WaterStone
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
WaterStone technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
WaterStone partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Charitable SolutionsminorCharitable Solutions provides qualified appraisal services for cryptocurrency donations to WaterStone, offering reduced rates: $150 for gifts under $500,000 and $800 for gifts over $500,000. This partnership simplifies the appraisal requirement for crypto donors seeking tax deductions.
- Eide Bailly LLPcoreEide Bailly LLP conducts WaterStone's annual audit in accordance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards, providing an unqualified opinion on consolidated financial statements for Christian Community Foundation, Inc. dba WaterStone and its affiliates.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
WaterStone competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- National Christian Foundation: The largest Christian donor-advised fund sponsor in the U.S. (~$3B+ AUA), NCF operates with a nearly identical faith-based model, complex-asset acceptance, and advisor partnership strategy, making it WaterStone's closest direct competitor.
- The Signatry: A faith-based national DAF sponsor headquartered in Kansas City that similarly targets Christian HNW donors with giving funds, complex-asset acceptance, and financial-advisor partnerships.
- National Philanthropic Trust: An independent national DAF sponsor offering giving funds and charitable trust services to HNW donors and nonprofits, with comparable scale, fee structure, and complex-asset capabilities.
- Renaissance Charitable Foundation: A national DAF sponsor with a focus on integrated financial planning, offering giving accounts, CRTs, and complex-asset acceptance — competing directly with WaterStone for HNW donors and advisor relationships.
- American Endowment Foundation: An independent DAF sponsor accepting complex assets (real estate, privately held business interests, crypto) and serving HNW donors — overlapping WaterStone's niche specialty on the complex-asset side.
- Thrivent Charitable Impact: The charitable giving arm of Thrivent, a faith-based financial services company; offers DAFs and charitable trusts targeted at Christian HNW donors — directly overlapping WaterStone's faith-aligned donor base.
Broad incumbents
- Fidelity Charitable: The largest DAF sponsor in the U.S. (~$80B+ AUA), offering low-fee giving accounts to the mass-affluent and HNW market with the Fidelity brand's distribution scale — WaterStone's primary competitive threat from the generalist side.
- Schwab Charitable: One of the top three DAF sponsors nationally, integrated with Schwab's advisor platform and serving a broadly similar HNW donor base — competing with WaterStone on advisor-channel mindshare and fee economics.
- Vanguard Charitable: A leading DAF sponsor with the Vanguard brand's low-cost reputation, serving HNW and mass-affluent donors and competing with WaterStone for financial-advisor referrals.
Emerging players
- Daffy Charitable: A tech-forward DAF platform targeting younger and mass-affluent donors with low minimums and a digital-first experience; partial overlap with WaterStone on giving-fund product but with a distinct secular, mass-market positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
WaterStone social profiles
Digital presenceWaterStone compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
WaterStone financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WaterStone leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
WaterStone subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
WaterStone funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WaterStone M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WaterStone
What does WaterStone do?
WaterStone operates as a faith-based charitable giving platform that enables high-net-worth Christian donors to make tax-efficient contributions of cash and complex non-traditional assets (real estate, business interests, appreciated securities, commodities, and cryptocurrency) via donor-advised funds (Giving Fund), charitable remainder trusts, and pooled trusts. The organization accepts the assets, manages compliance, due diligence, and grant processing, and distributes grants to charities aligned with its Statement of Faith, providing donors with an immediate charitable deduction and tax-free asset growth.
Is WaterStone a public or private company?
WaterStone is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was WaterStone founded?
WaterStone was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is WaterStone based?
WaterStone is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does WaterStone make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Non-Traditional Asset Contribution Fees are the primary driver. The others are annual Administration Fees (Giving Fund / CAF), charitable Trust Administration Fees and special Service Fees.
Who are WaterStone's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are National Christian Foundation, The Signatry, National Philanthropic Trust, Renaissance Charitable Foundation, American Endowment Foundation and Thrivent Charitable Impact. Broad incumbents are Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable and Vanguard Charitable. Daffy Charitable is listed as an emerging player.
Does WaterStone have an API?
No public API is recorded for WaterStone.
What industry is WaterStone in?
WaterStone's product category is Donor-Advised Funds and Charitable Giving Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAF, Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors, with a secondary code of FSAAANAI, Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 6199.