What heifer foundation does

Heifer Foundation is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation (Tax ID #71-0699939) whose sole mission is to raise and oversee financial assets that fund Heifer International's anti-hunger and poverty programs serving smallholder farmers in the United States and abroad. It functions as the dedicated planned-giving and asset-management arm of Heifer International, accepting contributions through endowments, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, bequests, donor-advised fund grants, and outright gifts of cash, property, and stock.

The foundation offers a portfolio of giving programs structured around donor financial objectives: gifts that cost nothing now (beneficiary designations, codicils), gifts that pay income (CGAs), gifts that reduce taxes (property and stock gifts), and gifts that make an immediate impact. It complements these with free planning resources — sample will/trust language, codicil templates, beneficiary designation forms — distributed through its website (myheiferfoundationgiving.org) and a Professional Advisor Network targeting attorneys, financial advisors, and estate planners. Distribution is direct-to-donor via website, phone (833-904-4483), and email ([email protected]), with a DAF portal integrated through givingdocs.com.

Heifer Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees, maintains Financial Transparency and State Fundraising Notices disclosures, and operates as a private, non-traded supporting organization with no public revenue, AUM, or donor data disclosed. There is no technology product; the foundation runs on a third-party CMS (MarketSmart). Its revenue model is contribution-based and episodic by nature, driven by deferred/planned gifts that can span multiple decades, with no commercial pricing structure.

Name

heifer foundation

Legal name

Heifer Foundation

Website

https://heiferfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Heifer Foundation is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that raises and manages planned gifts — endowments, charitable gift annuities, bequests, and donor-advised fund grants — exclusively to fund Heifer International's programs for smallholder farmers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Planned Giving and Endowment Management

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors (BPAGAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Endowments (Universities, Foundations, Nonprofits) (FSAAAGAC), Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

Keywords

• Planned giving services
• Charitable gift annuities
• Donor-advised funds
• Endowment management
• Estate planning resources

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Contributions: The foundation receives gifts of cash, property, and stock from donors. These contributions support the endowment pool dedicated to funding Heifer International's mission of ending hunger and poverty among smallholder farmers.
2. Planned Giving Instruments: Heifer Foundation receives and manages bequests, charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities, and other deferred giving vehicles that provide donors with income streams or tax benefits while generating long-term assets for the foundation.
3. Endowment Management: The foundation oversees endowment assets, managing donor-restricted and unrestricted funds that generate ongoing support for Heifer International's programs serving smallholder farmers in the U.S. and globally.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Heifer Foundation is a nonprofit fundraising entity that solicits, receives, and manages charitable contributions—primarily through planned giving vehicles such as endowments, charitable gift annuities, bequests, charitable remainder trusts, and donor-advised funds—to financially sustain Heifer International's anti-hunger and smallholder farmer initiatives. It provides complimentary estate-planning resources (sample will/trust language, codicils, beneficiary designation forms) to help individual donors and their professional advisors structure legacy gifts. The foundation itself does not deliver programs; it channels donor-restricted and unrestricted funds to Heifer International.

Product overview

Heifer Foundation is a charitable fundraising organization that supports Heifer International's mission to end hunger and poverty. Rather than a technology product, the foundation offers a portfolio of planned giving programs and estate planning tools. These include endowments, charitable gift annuities, donor-advised funds, and various gift structures (income-producing gifts, tax-reducing gifts, and immediate impact gifts). The foundation also provides complimentary planning resources including sample language for wills/trusts, codicils, and beneficiary designations to help donors incorporate charitable giving into their estate plans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Endowments

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Heifer InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeifer Foundation exists to raise and oversee financial assets exclusively to support the work of Heifer International. Heifer International is the primary mission partner that implements programs providing animals, training, and basic necessities to smallholder farmers and their communities in the U.S. and globally. The foundation's entire purpose is to generate and manage funds that enable Heifer International's hunger and poverty elimination work.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Charitable: Largest U.S. donor-advised fund sponsor, holding tens of billions in assets and offering donors the ability to support any qualified charity. Directly comparable to Heifer Foundation's DAF and planned giving programs but at vastly greater scale and with a multi-charity giving menu.
• Schwab Charitable: Major institutional donor-advised fund sponsor affiliated with Charles Schwab. Competes with Heifer Foundation for planned giving dollars by offering donors a flexible giving account that can grant to any qualified 501(c)(3), including Heifer International itself.
• T. Rowe Price Charitable: Donor-advised fund sponsor affiliated with T. Rowe Price, offering planned giving and DAF services to high-net-worth investors. Competes for the same affluent estate planning donors Heifer Foundation targets, with broader charity choice.

Direct peers

• National Philanthropic Trust: Independent DAF sponsor and one of the largest grantmaking organizations in the U.S. Operates a comparable business model of accepting planned gifts, managing DAFs, and distributing grants to qualified charities — including Heifer International and similar international development organizations.
• American Red Cross Foundation: Charity-affiliated planned giving and endowment program supporting the American Red Cross humanitarian mission. Closely parallels Heifer Foundation's structure: dedicated fundraising arm offering bequests, CGAs, DAFs, and endowments to fund a single parent charity's programs.
• UNICEF Foundation: Charitable foundation supporting UNICEF's global humanitarian and development mission. Mirrors Heifer Foundation's model of administering planned gifts, endowments, and donor-advised fund contributions exclusively for one international parent organization's programs serving vulnerable populations.
• Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières USA: U.S. fundraising foundation supporting MSF's international medical humanitarian work. Comparable single-charity affiliated planned giving model with similar donor demographics (affluent legacy givers, estate planning integrations, and global mission storytelling).
• World Wildlife Fund Foundation: Charitable foundation supporting WWF's global conservation programs. Operates an analogous planned giving portfolio — bequests, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and endowments — exclusively benefiting one internationally recognized parent organization.
• National Geographic Society: Charitable foundation supporting National Geographic's exploration, science, and storytelling mission. Mirrors Heifer Foundation's structure of managing planned gifts, endowments, and bequests exclusively for one iconic parent brand with a global programmatic footprint.

Regional players

• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: Large community foundation offering DAFs, endowments, and planned giving services. Operates a structurally similar model to Heifer Foundation but with a regional geographic focus and a multi-charity giving menu, competing for planned giving dollars from West Coast donors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heifer-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about heifer foundation