#HalfMyDAF
Over $229 billion sits in Donor Advised Funds (DAFs.). Our goal at #HalfMyDAF is to inspire more giving with $2.1 million in matching funds.
When DAF holders commit to spending down at least half of the money in their DAF by the end of September 2024, the grants they make become eligible for dollar-for-dollar matches from #HalfMyDAF. After June 28, 2024 and again after September 27, 2024, we will randomly select grants to be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000-$10,000 – with four lucky nonprofits receiving matching grants of up to $25,000.
Jennifer and David Risher launched #HalfMyDAF in 2020 to inspire more giving from Donor Advised Funds. Over the last four years, #HalfMyDAF partners and hundreds of DAF donors have made thousands of grants and moved over $50 million from DAFs to nonprofits. Donors are excited about the possibility of getting matches and have told us, “This is the nudge I needed” and “I love how easy it is to make my money go further.” Nonprofits are grateful to have a tool to encourage DAF donors to give that gives them the possibility of receiving additional unrestricted funding.
In addition to the Rishers, Laura & Greg Spivy, Kathy Kwan, James Slavet, Brighton Jones Wealth Management, Democracy Fund, and The Amalgamated Foundation have contributed financially to the $2.1 million matching pool. This year’s general matching fund is $950K with an additional $600K designated for matches to nonprofits supporting education in underserved communities, $200K for matches to nonprofits supporting gender and racial justice, and $50K for strengthening our democracy. If you’d like to contribute to any of these matching pools, please contact us at contact@halfmydaf.com.
Please take a look at the instructions for donors and nonprofits and get inspired by the list of grants made in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 as they come in!
Thank you for being part of the #HalfMyDAF movement and putting charitable dollars to work — now.
The Donors behind #HalfMyDAF
Jennifer and David Risher
Jennifer is the author of "We Need to Talk: A Memoir About Wealth" that tells her story of getting lucky and explores the hidden impact of wealth on identity, relationships, and sense of place in the world. She believes staying silent around topics like philanthropy creates problems for both those who have money and for our country as a whole. Money shouldn’t be a taboo subject; silence perpetuates the status quo and keeps us from learning from each other.
David is the CEO of Lyft. A former Microsoft and Amazon executive, David co-founded and lead Worldreader, a nonprofit whose mission is to get children reading so they can reach their potential. As CEO of Worldreader since its founding in 2010, David helped over 21 million people read around the world using digital technology. As Lyft’s CEO, David hopes to help millions of drivers earn billions of dollars and connect riders with the people and experiences they love.
Laura and Greg Spivy
Laura is a philanthropist and leader in non profit education, with over fifteen years working on public and private school boards and a strong focus on education as an equalizer. Laura believes in the transformative power of education for all children, and that it is the right of every child to have access to an education that allows them to realize their true potential. For Laura, there is no question that education builds stronger families and more engaged local communities that in turn build a better world for all of us.
Following a 30-year career in the finance industry, most recently as a partner at ValueAct Capital, Greg is now the Board Chair of Matriculate, which assists high-achieving, low-income kids in navigating the path to our nation’s top colleges. He also invests privately, as Spivy Private Capital, in direct angel investment opportunities in the sports and gaming sectors, as well as in a diverse group of leading investment funds.
Charles Brighton and Jon Jones founded Brighton Jones and pioneered a total balance sheet approach to client service built on comprehensive, in-house expertise and conflict-free advice. Brighton Jones’ Personal CFO service integrates tax, strategic philanthropy, estate planning, private investments and financial education for families as well as other services to help clients live a richer life.
Since 2000, Brighton Jones has helped more than 4,000 individuals and families align their wealth, their passions, and their purpose. We are one of the fastest-growing Registered Independent Advisors in the U.S., with more than $17 billion in assets under advisement.
Brighton Jones’ Philanthropic Advisory team helps individuals and families create organized giving strategies that deliver the most impact with every dollar donated
James Slavet, venture partner and advisor at Greylock, is the founder of the Solid Foundation, a philanthropic organization that makes charitable grants and investments to compound human potential. This includes supporting nonprofits and startups that leverage technology, and mission-driven VC funds. Solid backs entrepreneurs who foster kids well-being or unlock economic mobility for people facing barriers to employment. The team is also a resource to those in the tech community interested in social impact giving and investing.
Solid is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since its founding in 2021, Solid has made over 50 grants and investments.
The Amalgamated Foundation’s mission is to redefine philanthropy by empowering activism, harnessing generosity, and leveraging technology. Like #HalfMyDAF, Amalgamated Foundation is laser-focused on moving money quickly to the nonprofits that urgently need it, and they’ve successfully mobilized hundreds of millions of dollars in charitable giving. The foundation was the first-ever DAF provider to enact a 10% payout pledge, encouraging donors to make annual grants of at least 10% of their fund.
As part of this partnership, Amalgamated will house #HalfMyDAF’s Donor Advised Fund in conjunction with Amalgamated Bank, which for over 100 years has been the trusted financial institution for consumers focused on what their money does in the world. The Foundation is also providing matching-fund support for #HalfMyDAF.
Kathy Kwan is a Bay Area philanthropist who led and subsequently spent down the assets of the Eustace-Kwan Family Foundation between 2006 and 2023. During that time Kathy funded more than sixty programs and organizations across the SF Bay Area. She has experience funding higher education, K-12 schools, safety net organizations, and local non-profits. Through experience, she has found that mid-size, multi-year investments help organizations build momentum and achieve big things on hard problems. She also believes that leaders matter and often focuses on building organizational capacity, skill acquisition, and creating infrastructure.
Kathy has a specific interest in activating the next generation of philanthropic funders. She helped fund the development of Stanford PACS "Guide to Effective Philanthropy" and has shared her experience with multiple audiences. She hopes her investment in #HalfMyDAF will encourage donors to give more earlier.
Since entering semi-retirement, Kathy has used her donor-advised fund to try new ideas and support local partners, albeit at a smaller scale.