Donating with a sub-fund gives you greater control on your charitable giving and creates a meaningful difference while enjoying an immediate tax benefit. Give smarter and make a bigger impact with your kindness today.
What exactly is a sub-fund?
A sub-fund, also called a donor-advised fund, a charitable fund or a named fund, is a way to give to the causes you care about and make a greater impact with your giving.
The model is simple – you invest a modest, minimum amount which is fully tax-deductible, and over time you and your family or business select non-profits to support, paying out grants from the fund (there is no requirement to give out each year).
Foundation SA is South Australia’s very own community foundation, established to provide you with personalised philanthropic expertise. When you start a sub-fund with us, we provide strategic, admin and compliance support to help make your donation go further.
Why establish a charitable fund?
You decide where to give
You decide which non-profit organisations you’d like to support. Choose any cause you care about – you’re only limited by your imagination. Create a fund in memory of a loved one, fundraise for a cause close to your heart or ask friends to contribute in lieu of gifts for a special occasion. The options are limitless.
Enjoy a tax deduction
You’ll enjoy an immediate tax benefit and can make your giving decisions when you’re ready. The flexibility of your own fund means anyone can make a tax-deductible donation to your fund – family, friends, staff or clients.
Get support and grow your giving
We’ll do the admin for you so you can focus on giving. Foundation SA will streamline the process by managing all trust administration, governance and compliance. Every dollar is ethically invested, so your impact grows.
How it works
When you establish a charitable fund, you can make a bigger impact with your giving. It’s easy to get setup and Foundation SA will provide you with the support you need to make your charitable dollar go further.
Who you can help
You decide where to give – this could be a non-profit organisation working in the area of poverty alleviation, environment & climate change or arts & culture. It might be causes close to your family like medical research or a scholarship to provide educational opportunities. You can give to any cause area or non-profit organisation that you want to support.
Get started today
Get in touch and we can discuss how Foundation SA can support you to tax-effectively support causes close to your heart today. Please complete the enquiry form below or give us a call on 08 82233597 (Monday-Thursday).
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The benefits of giving through your own fund
When you establish a charitable fund, you can make a bigger impact with your giving. It’s easy to get setup and Foundation SA will provide you with the support you need to make your charitable dollar go further.
Choose your own giving options
There’s a range of ways you can give tax effectively with us, depending on how much you’d like to contribute and your philanthropic goals. Discover the option that’s right for you and compare the choices below.
Gumnut account
If you’d rather start with a more modest investment, a Gumnut account could be a good option. A Gumnut is a lower level option to a donor-advised fund and ideal for people and organisations wanting to start with an initial $2,000 investment and commit to minimum contributions of $2,000 each year.
Donor-advised fund/sub-fund
A tax-deductible fund that provides sound returns, on a $20,000 investment with no commitment to grant out each year.
Bequest fund
Create a legacy fund that gives back to causes you are passionate about beyond your lifetime.
Private ancillary fund (or private foundation or PAF)
If you’re considering a PAF, we can help advise you and link you with a strategic giving partner.
Who decides which charities are supported? In all of these options, you decide which charities you support. Foundation SA can provide research on charities that match your interests, but ultimately you decide where your funds go.
Compare your giving options
Gumnut Account | Sub-Fund | Bequest Fund | Private Ancillary Fund | |
What are the establishment fees? | Fee-free | Fee-free | Fee-free | $6,000 (approx) |
Can I get set up in 2 days? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ 4 - 5 Weeks |
How much is the minimum initial donation? | $2,000 | $2,000 | $50,000 | $1 million is recommended |
Are donations tax deductible? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Are there ongoing fees? | ✅ Annual fee: 1.5% | ✅ Annual fee: 2.5% (up to $500,000) | ✅ Annual fee: 2.5% (up to $500,000) | ✅ Dependent upon provider |
Is there a minimum amount I have to give to the causes I care about? | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ 5% of the net value of assets at 30 June the previous year |
Is there a minimum amount I have to contribute into my account each year? | ✅ $2,000 p.a | ❌ Contribute as often as you like – there are no legal requirements | ❌ | ❌ Contribute as often as you like – there are no legal requirements |
Can the public donate into my fund and am I allowed to fundraise? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Are the investments tax-exempt? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Compare your giving options
This table provides a quick reference guide to the different structured giving options. If you would like to learn more about establishing a giving fund with Foundation SA, please send us an enquiry.
Hear from our donors
All Funds
Hear from our range of donors about why they chose to start giving with Foundation SA.
Family Funds
Foundation SA family sub-fund holders, Pip and Andrew, explain what a sub-fund with Foundation SA means to them.
Corporate Funds
Why corporate sub-fund holders, ChemSupply Australia, established a corporate giving program with Foundation SA.
Non-profit organisations can also benefit from our investment structure
Non-profits can build an endowment, access fundraising infrastructure, and grow their funds in our pooled ethical investments. This is called a Future Fund.
Get started on your giving journey now
Frequently asked questions
To get started, contact us to discuss your giving goals. We can establish your fund is as little as 48 hours when you complete our fund establishment form and make a tax deductible donation.
You do. Where your funds go is entirely up to you. You can choose causes close to your heart, small grass-roots charities, large international non-profits or scholarships for individuals. The choice is yours and Foundation SA take care of all administration and compliance.
You can contribute to your fund at any time you like and enjoy the tax benefit at the time of giving.
You will enjoy an immediate tax benefit upon each contribution to your fund.
You don’t have to set up your own fund to reap the rewards of a tax deductible donation and contribute to long lasting impact. Click here to make a tax deductible donation today.
The Charities Act 2013 (Cth) lists 12 charitable purposes:
- advancing health
- advancing education
- advancing social or public welfare
- advancing religion
- advancing culture
- promoting reconciliation, mutual respect and tolerance between groups of individuals that are in Australia
- promoting or protecting human rights
- advancing the security or safety of Australia or the Australian public
- preventing or relieving the suffering of animals
- advancing the natural environment
- promoting or opposing a change to any matter established by law, policy or practice in the Commonwealth, a state, a territory or another country (where that change furthers or opposes one or more of the purposes above), and
other similar purposes ‘beneficial to the general public’ (a general category).
Charitable Purposes are explained on the ACNC (Australian Charities and Non-profits Commission) website here.
Make a grant at any time throughout the year, as long as the balance of your sub-fund does not go below $20,000 you are able to grant as much, as quickly as you like.
When your Gumnut Account reaches $20,000 it will automatically become your own named donor-advised fund. You can make a minimum donation of $2,000 each year or make larger donations to speed up the process.
Want to learn more about establishing a Gumnut Account with Foundation SA?
This table provides a quick reference guide to the different structured giving options.
If you would like to learn more about establishing a donor-advised fund with Foundation SA, please send us an enquiry.
This table provides a quick reference guide to the different structured giving options. If you would like to learn more about establishing a donor-advised fund with Foundation SA, please send us an enquiry.
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Contact us
- www.foundationsa.org.au
- hello@foundationsa.org.au
- +61 8 8223 3597
Australian Communities Foundation (ACF) is Foundation SA’s implementation partner and Trustee of funds under management.
Main Fund (tax deductible) ABN 57 967 620 066
Extension Fund (non-tax deductible) ABN 57 485 460 977
Scholarship Fund (tax deductible) ABN 82 218 603 765.
We pay our respects to the Traditional Custodians of the Adelaide region on which our office stands, the Kaurna people. We acknowledge all First Nations peoples and their deep connection to the land. The dispossession and treatment that has occurred, still impacts on the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people today. We walk hand-in-hand with all First Nations peoples on the path to reconciliation.