Simple, flexible and secure giving 

The CAF Charitable Trust is a donor advised fund. It's an alternative to having your own private philanthropic foundation, but comes without the administrative burden. For many of our clients and their families a CAF Charitable Trust is the preferred long-term charitable giving vehicle for straightforward and impactful giving no matter the scale of their ambition.

With a CAF Charitable Trust you can: 

  • Gift cash, stocks and shares and other assets tax efficiently when it suits you
  • Grow the value of your Trust with interest and tax-exempt investment options
  • Grant funds to organisations locally or globally, in secure and effective ways 
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Confidently manage and maximise your giving 

Give and grow funds with ease 

  • Fund your Trust in flexible ways, with cash (USD, EUR, GBP), stocks and shares, investments, salary contributions (via CAF Give As You Earn) and other non-cash assets.

  • Nominate up to six approved donors who can gift into your Trust and as many signatories as you need. 

  • Grow your Trust with our range of eligible investment options, including environmental and socially driven options.

Learn more about investment options

Grant with confidence 

  • Donate confidently to any UK-registered or overseas charity.

  • Benefit from CAF's robust charity verification and due diligence on all international charities and projects.

  • Flexibly support any eligible activity or cost with charitable purpose, including eligible UK organisations which are not charities, such as community interest companies.

Realise greater impact 





Download our 'Guide to Giving'

Tax-efficient giving 

A CAF Charitable Trust allows you to give in a tax-efficient way to the causes that matter to you: 

  • Donors may claim available Income or Capital Gains tax relief on all gifts into your Trust (NB. you must seek independent advice on your personal tax affairs) 
  • CAF can reclaim Gift Aid on eligible cash gifts, increasing the amount available to distribute to your chosen charitable partners
  • All legacy gifts to CAF are exempt from inheritance tax, reducing the overall sum of inheritance tax on an estate

Try our tax calculator to learn how much your lifetime cash gift to charity could be worth. 

Cash donation calculator

Enter donation amount
Tax income rate
  • 20%
  • 40%
  • 45%
Gift Aid claimed £ - We top your donation with additional Gift Aid, which is 25p for every £1
Total donation to charity £ -
You claim back from HMRC £ -
Cost of donation to you £ -

Frequently asked questions 

  • Does the CAF Charitable Trust qualify me for Income Tax relief?
    We’ll reclaim and add Gift Aid for every eligible donation made into your CAF Charitable Trust. If you need information on your personal tax situation, please speak to an independent financial adviser.
  • What happens to my CAF Charitable Trust when I die?
    You can either pass your Trust onto a named successor or nominate CAF as a beneficiary. This allows you to make gifts to specific charities in your Letter of Wishes.
  • Can I name my CAF Charitable Trust?
    Yes, you can give your CAF Charitable Trust a name of your choice, e.g. ‘The Smith Family Charitable Trust’. The Trust name may be anything that which has not already been registered with CAF or the Charity Commission. 
  • Is my CAF Charitable Trust registered with the Charity Commission?
    You don’t have to register your Trust with the Charity Commission. We’re a registered charity ourselves and your Trust sits with us, so our registration covers your Trust.
  • Who can fund my CAF Charitable Trust?
    Gifts can be made by any authorised donor, established within the Trust (a maximum of 6 donors per Trust). All donors are subject to CAF’s Customer Due Diligence, which includes identification Verification (ID&V) and collection of the necessary Source of Wealth, Source of Funds information and documentation prior to transferring new gifts. The Private Client team will be on hand to support each donor with this. 

    In addition, gifts can be made by third parties, which include businesses, charities or private Trusts of which our donors are connected to as directors, partners, trustees or beneficiary. 

    The due diligence required to facilitate a third party gift is advanced, however our Private Client team will provide guidance on our requirements.
     

View all our CAF Charitable Trust FAQ's

Key documents 

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