Professors' Corner:Regulating the Time to Give Away Millions: Proposed Legislation on Donor Advised Funds
Recorded on September 14, 2021
The promise of philanthropy is that the wealthy would enjoy tax breaks for their charitable contributions. However, Donor Advised Funds, (“DAFs”) can accept and hold charitable donations that have generated a federal income tax deduction, but never devote the resources to charitable work. Currently DAFs have more than $140 billion set aside for future charitable gifts, but there is no requirement to distribute these funds. A Senate bill, the Accelerating Charitable Efforts (ACE) Act, aims to change that by establishing a timeline for donations to working charities from DAFs. Whether the legislation will work to ensure that these funds find their intended beneficiaries remains to be seen. The panelists will discuss the impetus for the ACE and its hoped-for efficacy. They will also offer some insight on the impact of the measure on charitable giving and benefits.
Panelists:
- Roger Paul Colinvaux, Columbus School of Law
- Ray Madoff, Boston College
Moderator:
- Rene Morency, Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard P.C.