Impact Assets – Donor Advised Fund

This blog / podcast / video are an interview with Scott Nance from Impact Assets. See our Video Here.

Scott is responsible for overseeing business development activities at ImpactAssets. Previously he was a Principal at ARK Global. He has also led and managed sales and distribution efforts for several financial and asset management organizations.

In 2010, ImpactAssets was spun out of Calvert Impact Capital in recognition of the growing need to increase flows of capital to the world’s greatest challenges.

The ImpactAssets Giving Fund, a donor advised fund, was created “of, by and for impact investors” to provide a flexible solution for the innovative and creative impact investing that philanthropists were seeking.

Since its inception, ImpactAssets has become the leading facilitator of direct impact investing within donor advised funds. Our portfolio represents more than 300 impact investment positions and $425 million in assets.

ImpactAssets is an independent 501(c)3 organization.

What is a Donor Advised Fund?

A donor-advised fund, or DAF, is an account that you contribute to and get a tax benefit when you contribute. You can invest the money, and grant the money to public charities over a number of years.

Three G’s of DAFs:

  • Giving – get a tax write-off when you give to the account (irrevocable contribution).
  • Growing – can invest in sustainable, responsible, impact investments.
  • Granting – can grant money to public 501(c)3 US charities when you want.

$5000 is the minimum account size for investing through Impact Assets.

  • ESG mutual funds (Calvert, Pax, Parnassus, …).
  • Private debt and equity funds. $10k minimum.
  • Custom investments – Impact Assets will can add

Public equities are generally held at Schwab. Impact Assets holds private funds.

Impact Assets charges an administrative fee of 1.0%/year on first $100k, 0.75% on next $400k,

0.40%/year for using the private equity platform.

Impact Assets maintains a database of impact investment managers called the Impact 50. Impact 50 is a database of 50 of the impact investing fund managers to give investors a sample of the sustainable, responsible, impact investments available.

Scott Nance can be reached at: snance@impactassets.org