by Josh Rembold, Grant Administration Manager, AEF
A majority of our donors engage in giving through their AEF Donor Advised Fund on an annual basis. Here at American Endowment Foundation, we had over $134 million in grant recommendations ( and over 17,000 grants) made in December 2021; that was nearly 22% of all grants made by AEF on behalf of our donors in 2021.
As we all approach the year-end, many donors keep their favorite charitable causes in mind. Additionally, many non-profits view the holiday season as a time of giving and generosity, making appeals to new and existing donors. One study determined that over 25% of non-profits raise nearly 26%-50% of their entire annual budget at the year-end.
With thousands of donors and thousands of grant recommendations happening in December alone, all grant recommendations happen on a first-come, first-served basis. Unfortunately, this means that some grant recommendations made late in the year may not make it to the non-profit organizations until 2023.
If you have made your grant recommendations in December in previous years, please consider doing so earlier since your favorite charities are so busy during the month and appreciate receiving your grants even earlier.
For those not familiar with DonorCentral, visit our Welcome page to learn more about the granting process.
If you have more questions about your grant making or how to use DonorCentral, don’t hesitate to contact our Experience Team for help.