Common questions about giving with Paramount Impact.

A donor-advised fund is a charitable giving account sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization, in this case, Paramount Impact. You make an irrevocable charitable contribution to your Legacy Fund, receive an immediate tax deduction, and then recommend grants to qualified charities over time. The sponsoring organization maintains legal control of the funds and ensures all grants go to legitimate charitable recipients.

The Paramount Legacy Fund is Paramount Impact's donor-advised fund program. Unlike large institutional DAF programs, every Legacy Fund comes with a dedicated philanthropic advisor, a real-time client portal and personal guidance, so you get more than an online account. We'll work with you on a giving plan that fits your values.

No. Paramount Impact does not impose a minimum contribution to open a Legacy Fund.

You can contribute cash, checks, ACH transfers, publicly traded securities (stocks, mutual funds, ETFs), real estate, closely held business interests, cryptocurrency, and other non-cash assets. Non-cash contributions over $5,000 require a qualified appraisal. All contributions are irrevocable.

Yes. We can make grants without telling the recipient who you are. Just mark that you'd like to stay anonymous when you send a grant recommendation through your portal.

Approved grant recommendations usually go out within 5–7 business days. We review every recommendation for compliance with IRC §4966 before we pay it. That means we confirm the recipient is a qualified 501(c)(3) and that no prohibited benefit is involved.

You can recommend grants to any organization that qualifies as a 501(c)(3) public charity under U.S. law. You cannot recommend grants to individuals, private non-operating foundations (with some exceptions), political organizations, or organizations where you receive a personal benefit in return.

Yes. You can name successor donor advisors, including children or other family members, who can keep recommending grants after you pass. Many families find this is one of the most useful parts of a DAF.

A donor-advised fund is simpler, less expensive, and more private than a private foundation. DAFs have no annual distribution requirement (foundations must distribute 5% of assets annually), no excise tax on investment income, higher AGI deduction limits (60% vs 30% for cash), and no public disclosure of individual grants on Form 990-PF.

Fiscal sponsorship allows a charitable project to operate under the legal and tax-exempt umbrella of an established 501(c)(3), without forming a separate nonprofit. Paramount Impact serves as the fiscal sponsor, accepting tax-deductible donations on behalf of your project and holding funds in a dedicated subaccount.

Under Model A, your project becomes a program of Paramount Impact. All contributions belong to Paramount Impact legally, and are designated for your project's use. Your project leadership directs mission activities and submits disbursement requests for approved expenses. Many consider it the most legally protective structure for both the sponsor and the project.

The application review typically takes 3–5 business days. Once approved and the fiscal sponsorship agreement is signed, your dedicated subaccount is opened within 1–2 business days and you can begin accepting tax-deductible donations immediately.

Our fees are listed on one page: Posted fees. We'll go over them in our first conversation, and they're written into your sponsorship agreement.

Yes. Active fiscal sponsorship projects are provided a dedicated bank account through Crowded / i3 Bank. A project debit card can also be issued upon request, subject to Paramount Impact's disbursement policies.

Project leaders are required to submit a program narrative report quarterly, maintain receipts for all transactions, and submit an annual financial report within 45 days of fiscal year end. Compliance status is tracked in real time through your project portal.

Yes. Many foundations accept applications from fiscally sponsored projects. You would apply under Paramount Impact's name and EIN (99-3609530), with a letter of support from Paramount Impact confirming your project's sponsorship status.

Paramount Impact supports project leaders who choose to form their own 501(c)(3). We assist with the transition, including transfer of remaining funds to the new entity once IRS determination is received, subject to the terms of your fiscal sponsorship agreement.

A CRT is an irrevocable trust that pays income to you (or other beneficiaries) for life or a term of years, with the remaining assets passing to charity at the end. You receive a partial charitable deduction upfront, avoid capital gains on contributed appreciated assets, and generate income for the trust's term. Two main types: CRUT (variable income) and CRAT (fixed income).

It depends on your situation, but appreciated securities held more than one year are generally the most tax-efficient asset to contribute. You avoid capital gains entirely and deduct the full fair market value. If you're over 70½, a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) straight from an IRA is often even better, because it's excluded from AGI.

Yes. Paramount Impact accepts publicly traded securities via direct broker transfer. You avoid capital gains on the appreciation and receive a deduction for the full fair market value on the date of transfer. Securities are typically liquidated within 3 business days of receipt.

A QCD is a direct transfer from a traditional IRA to a qualified charity, up to $111,000 per person per year (2026, indexed for inflation). The transferred amount is excluded from your taxable income entirely, unlike a regular IRA withdrawal followed by a charitable deduction. QCDs also satisfy your Required Minimum Distribution.

No. Under current IRS rules, QCDs cannot be made to donor-advised funds or private foundations. QCDs must go directly to a public charity, such as Paramount Impact's operating fund or a specific fiscally sponsored project.

Yes, subject to Paramount Impact's gift acceptance review process. We evaluate all real estate gifts for environmental concerns, title status, marketability, and carrying costs. If accepted, title transfers to Paramount Impact and the property is sold with proceeds credited to your designated account.

Yes. Paramount Impact accepts cryptocurrency as a non-cash charitable contribution. Crypto gifts over $5,000 require a qualified appraisal. Donated crypto is liquidated promptly upon receipt and proceeds credited to your Legacy Fund.

For cash contributions to a DAF: up to 60% of adjusted gross income (AGI). For contributions of appreciated capital gain property (securities, real estate): up to 30% of AGI. Excess contributions can be carried forward for up to 5 years. Deduction limits are governed by IRC §170.

Yes, in the year of contribution. The charitable deduction applies when you fund the DAF, not when you make grants. This allows you to 'bunch' multiple years of giving into one tax year for a larger deduction, then distribute grants on your own timeline.

Bunching means making two or more years of planned charitable contributions in a single tax year, funding your DAF, to exceed the standard deduction threshold and itemize. The following year, you take the standard deduction. This can raise your overall tax benefit a lot without changing how much you give over time.

No. Assets inside a donor-advised fund grow tax-free. When securities in the DAF are sold to be granted, there is no capital gains tax event. That makes a DAF a good place to hold appreciated assets while you decide which charities to support.

Fill out the inquiry form on our DAF page or schedule a conversation. We'll have a short intake call, collect your gift acceptance agreement and contribution, and open your portal account within 3–5 business days.

Paramount Impact maintains dedicated project and DAF subaccounts at Crowded / i3 Bank, an FDIC-insured financial institution. Each account is separately reconciled monthly.

Paramount Impact is a 501(c)(3) public charity, EIN 99-3609530. We file an annual Form 990 with the IRS. We keep written procedures for how funds and sponsored projects are received, recorded, and granted.

Our fees are listed on one page: Posted fees. We'll go over them in our first conversation. We don't charge a fee on the balance held in a fund, and we don't pay referral fees.

Yes, and we hope you will. Paramount Impact isn't a law firm, CPA firm or registered investment advisor. We work alongside your advisors and will talk with them directly if you'd like.

In the event Paramount Impact were to wind down operations, all donor-advised fund assets would be transferred to another 501(c)(3) sponsoring organization consistent with donor intent. This is standard practice for DAF sponsoring organizations and is addressed in our account agreement.

No. Paramount Impact does not pay referral fees, finder's fees, or commissions. We are a 501(c)(3) public charity. Our fees are posted on one page: Posted fees.

Use the form on our Schedule page. We'll set up a brief advisor introduction first, then coordinate the client intake on your timeline.

We'll follow whatever communication preferences you set. By default, we copy the referring advisor on all material correspondence. If you'd like something different, just let us know.

We provide IRS acknowledgment letters, Form 8283 donee acknowledgments, securities transfer confirmations, annual giving summaries, grant distribution confirmations, and 501(c)(3) verification letters on request.