In today’s philanthropic landscape, donor-advised funds, or DAFs, have become central to how individuals and families express generosity. According to the Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative 2025 Annual Report, DAFs facilitated approximately $65 billion in charitable grants in 2024, continuing a multi-year trend of sustained growth in both assets and distributions. As DAFs scale, they are playing an increasingly critical role in how charitable capital moves through the nonprofit ecosystem.¹
Yet one persistent challenge remains. The final mile of charitable giving, the moment funds actually arrive at a nonprofit, has not kept pace with the rest of the donor experience. While donors and advisors can determine giving strategies with speed and precision, grant payments themselves often move through outdated, fragmented systems that slow delivery and add administrative burden.
This friction is not simply an inconvenience. Research from the World Bank shows that inefficient last-mile payment systems reduce trust, delay outcomes, and limit the effectiveness of funds intended for impact. While much of this research focuses on development and social programs, the same principles apply to philanthropy. When charitable dollars stall in process, the effectiveness of giving is diminished at exactly the moment it is meant to do the most good.²
The Last-Mile Opportunity in Modern Giving
In financial services, last-mile payments refer to the final transfer of funds to the end recipient. Across industries, expectations around this step have changed dramatically. Research from McKinsey shows that individuals and institutions increasingly expect payments to be fast, transparent, and digitally native, regardless of context.³ Philanthropy is no exception.
Within the DAF ecosystem, grant payments often involve multiple stakeholders, including donor platforms, sponsoring organizations, intermediaries, and nonprofits. Each handoff introduces friction, delay, and risk. When the final step is slow or opaque, donor confidence erodes and nonprofit operations are strained.
Innovating Grant Payments Together: TIFIN Give and Chariot
The partnership between TIFIN Give and Chariot is designed to address this challenge by modernizing how charitable dollars move from donor intent to nonprofit impact.
TIFIN Give provides a modern, advisor-led donor-advised fund platform that integrates charitable giving into broader wealth and tax strategies. Chariot complements this approach with a payments infrastructure purpose-built for philanthropy, enabling electronic, data-rich grant disbursements directly to nonprofits.
Together, the platforms reduce friction at the most critical point in the giving journey. Donors gain confidence that grants are delivered quickly and securely. Once approved, payments are instantly sent to nonprofits’ Chariot accounts, with real-time status updates visible in TIFIN Give. The underlying financial infrastructure ensures accounts are thoroughly vetted and continuously monitored for compliance. Advisors and DAF providers benefit from reduced operational complexity, while nonprofits receive funds faster, with greater transparency and fewer administrative hurdles.
Why This Moment Matters
Several trends make this work especially timely. DAFs continue to grow as a preferred giving vehicle. As people grow accustomed to seamless, thoughtful digital experiences across every aspect of their financial lives, they now expect the same in charitable giving. At the same time, nonprofits are under pressure to do more with less, making fast, efficient payment flows more critical than ever.
Above all, trust remains the foundation of philanthropy. Clear, reliable grant payments reinforce confidence across the ecosystem, strengthening long-term engagement between donors, advisors, and the organizations they support.
A Shared Vision for the Future of Giving
The TIFIN Give and Chariot partnership reflects a shared belief. Technology should simplify giving, not complicate it.
By modernizing last-mile grant payments, we can ensure that generosity moves with the same speed, clarity, and intention that defines today’s best financial experiences. The future of philanthropy will not be defined solely by how much is given, but by how effectively that generosity reaches the causes it is meant to serve.