The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is doing important work uncovering waste and mismanagement across the federal government, shining a light for the American taxpayers to see where their money is really going. They’re revealing what we’ve known for a long time: government spending is out of control.
Sadly, important charitable tools like Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) are being demonized by the viral internet news cycle and distracting from the real problem.
The truth is that DAFs are a vital tool for private charities to respond quickly and nimbly to urgent crises in our society and empower ordinary Americans to give freely and privately. For instance, within days of Hurricane Helene battering the eastern seaboard, donors with DAFs at the National Philanthropic Trust made over 500 grant recommendations totaling over $3 million in support to nonprofits and community foundations responding to the disaster while the government was still putting on its waders. They also played an instrumental role in supporting Americans during the pandemic, with a nearly 30% surge in DAF grants to charities during the first half of 2020 – when people needed help the most.
As we learn that taxpayer dollars have been used to support special interest, politically-motivated projects and organizations, we should be calling for more oversight at the source: the government. Debating the mechanics of tools like DAFs distracts from the real problem and creates the illusion of accountability. For true accountability, we should demand to turn off the spigot of government largesse.
A thriving civil society relies on informed, active citizens to respond to the needs of their communities. Allowing private sector charitable tools to get caught in the crosshairs of politicized government programs undermines the freedom that makes our country strong.
