Renaissance Charitable

What Renaissance Charitable does

Renaissance Charitable Foundation Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) public charity, established in 2000 and headquartered in Indianapolis, that sponsors donor-advised fund (DAF) programs for individuals, financial advisors, wealth management firms, and family offices across the United States. The organization operates two principal program types: Advisor-Managed DAFs designed to integrate charitable giving into existing wealth, tax, and investment plans for donors working with financial professionals, and Donor-Directed DAFs under the Renaissance Charitable Giving Fund for individuals managing their giving independently without an advisor. The organization holds $12B+ in charitable capital entrusted across more than 90,000 donor relationships, processes 25+ asset classes including complex and illiquid contributions, and routes grants to over 1.5 million IRS-qualified charities.

All Renaissance Charitable DAFs are powered by the Ren Giving Platform, an institutional-grade technology platform built by operating partner Renaissance Administration LLC and shared across nearly half of all U.S. DAF assets. The platform provides automated charity vetting with same-day approval on the majority of grant recommendations, real-time portfolio visibility, integrated planning tools, and a charity portal with digital payment disbursements. The organization layers on additional capabilities including custody-neutral Separately Managed Account (SMA) management, cryptocurrency contribution processing, and white-label program delivery for wirehouses, broker-dealers, RIAs, and regional banks.

Revenue is generated through tiered administrative fees on assets under management, ranging from 0.65% on balances under $500K down to 0.20% on $2.5M–$5M for advisor-managed DAFs (with custom pricing above) and from 0.60% to 0.15% on donor-directed DAFs, plus a $250 minimum annual fee per account. Distribution operates through a hybrid model combining direct digital acquisition for individual donors and channel partnerships with financial advisors and wealth management institutions across the United States. The organization is governed by an independent Board of Directors and is the successor to TIAA Charitable.

Name

Renaissance Charitable

Legal name

Renaissance Charitable Foundation Inc.

Website

https://renaissancecharitable.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Renaissance Charitable Foundation Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) public charity that sponsors donor-advised fund programs for individuals, financial advisors, wealth management firms, and family offices in the United States. It holds $12B+ in charitable capital across 90,000+ donors and runs its technology on the Ren Giving Platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Donor-Advised Fund Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors (BPAGAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Philanthropy & Foundations Advisory (Donor-Advised Funds, Endowments) (FSAAABAH)

Keywords

• Donor-advised funds
• Charitable giving services
• Philanthropic planning
• Wealth management DAFs
• Nonprofit financial services

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. DAF Administrative Fees: Renaissance Charitable generates revenue through tiered administrative fees charged as a percentage of DAF assets under management. Fee rates decrease as account balances increase. For advisor-managed DAFs, rates range from 0.65% (under $500K) down to 0.20% ($2.5M-$5M), with large accounts receiving custom competitive pricing. Donor-directed DAFs range from 0.60% (under $500K) down to 0.15% ($2.5M+). All accounts are subject to a $250 minimum annual administrative fee. Fees are all-inclusive covering account administration, grant processing, and technology.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Renaissance Charitable Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) public charity that sponsors donor-advised fund (DAF) programs across the United States. It operates two primary offerings: Advisor-Managed DAFs, integrated into financial advisors' wealth management practices with custody-neutral separately managed accounts, and Donor-Directed DAFs (Renaissance Charitable Giving Fund) for individuals who give independently. The organization accepts a broad range of asset types—including cash, appreciated securities, private business interests, real estate, and cryptocurrency—and processes grant recommendations to IRS-qualified charities.

Product overview

Renaissance Charitable offers a unified donor-advised fund (DAF) platform through two main program types: Advisor-Managed DAFs for donors working with financial advisors, and Donor-Directed DAFs (Renaissance Charitable Giving Fund) for independent donors. All accounts are powered by the Ren Giving Platform, which provides institutional-grade technology for grant processing, portfolio management, and charity vetting. The company provides multiple portal options including the primary Renaissance Charitable Portal, the RCFGF Portal, and MyDAF for different account types.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Same-day approval for over 80% of grant recommendations through automated charity vetting
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Ren (Renaissance Administration LLC)coreTechnology or IntegrationRen provides the institutional-grade giving platform, administrative infrastructure, and operational support for all Renaissance Charitable DAF programs. Ren's platform handles nearly half of all U.S. DAF assets and powers the entire donor and advisor experience including grant processing, charity vetting, portfolio management, and account administration. Renaissance Charitable serves as the sponsoring public charity responsible for charitable, legal, and compliance matters, while Ren handles the technology and services layer.
• GuideStar (Philanthropic Research, Inc.)supportingTechnology or IntegrationGuideStar provides the charity database and search functionality used within the Renaissance Charitable platform for charity vetting and grant recommendations. The database contains information on IRS-qualified nonprofits and enables donors and advisors to search for and identify grant recipients. Access to GuideStar's charity search engine is governed by a user agreement incorporated into Renaissance Charitable's terms of service.
• TIAAsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTIAA investment pools are available as an investment option within the Renaissance Charitable Giving Fund (donor-directed DAFs), providing donors without financial advisors access to institutional-quality investment options managed by TIAA.
• Various Wirehouses, Broker-Dealers, and Wealth Management FirmssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRenaissance Charitable has established relationships with various wirehouses, broker-dealers, and wealth management firms to offer DAF programs through their platforms. Financial advisors at these firms can integrate Renaissance Charitable DAFs into their practice, and donors at these firms can access the programs through their existing advisor relationships. Programs may be white-label or co-branded and are often integrated with firm advisory platforms.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Schwab Charitable: Major DAF sponsor affiliated with Charles Schwab, one of the top three U.S. DAF sponsors by AUM. Directly comparable product offering (DAFs for individual donors and advisors), investment pool structure, and grant administration capabilities.
• Fidelity Charitable: Largest DAF sponsor in the U.S. by AUM, operated as a public charity affiliated with Fidelity Investments. Directly comparable as a DAF sponsor serving both advisor-led and direct donors, with similar grant processing, charity vetting, and investment pool structures.
• Vanguard Charitable: DAF sponsor affiliated with Vanguard Group, among the top U.S. DAF sponsors. Directly comparable as an institutional DAF sponsor with similar fee-tiered AUM pricing, advisor partnership model, and investment pool approach.
• Raymond James Charitable: DAF sponsor affiliated with Raymond James Financial, serving advisors and donors across that firm's network. Comparable DAF product, advisor-managed and donor-directed structures, and fee architecture.
• American Endowment Foundation: Independent DAF sponsor offering donor-advised funds to individuals, families, and advisors. Directly comparable independent DAF sponsor with similar complex-asset acceptance capabilities and competitive fee structures.
• National Philanthropic Trust: Independent DAF sponsor and one of the largest grantmakers in the U.S. Directly comparable as an independent (non-financial-institution-affiliated) DAF sponsor serving HNW donors, with overlapping donor-advised fund programs and grantmaking services.
• National Christian Foundation: Large independent DAF sponsor specializing in faith-based and values-aligned giving, with significant complex-asset acceptance. Comparable independent DAF sponsor with similar advisor partnership and complex-asset capabilities, though with values-driven grant restrictions.

Broad incumbents

• BNY Mellon Charitable Gift Fund: DAF offering from BNY Mellon Wealth Management, an incumbent in the HNW wealth and charitable services space. Overlaps in DAF sponsorship and complex-asset acceptance, but operates as part of BNY Mellon's broader wealth platform rather than as an independent specialist.
• Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund: Charitable giving services offered by Goldman Sachs through the Ayco Charitable Foundation and private wealth platform. Comparable in serving HNW/UHNW donors with complex-asset giving and integrated wealth solutions, but operates as part of a broader investment bank offering.

Others

• Ren (Renaissance Administration LLC): Technology and administrative services provider that powers Renaissance Charitable's DAF platform and serves nearly half of all U.S. DAF assets. Functionally adjacent as the operational backbone; also operates as a sponsor of its own DAF programs and serves other DAF sponsors.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/renaissance-charitable-foundation-inc-

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Renaissance Charitable