Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program
Major DAF sponsor affiliated with Vanguard. Significant dark money flows through Vanguard DAFs to (c)(4) political advocacy organizations on both sides.
Tracked direct giving
$0
Tracked donations to candidate
$0
Connections
8
Dark Money Spending
Election spending by organizations that do not disclose their donors. Dark money flows through 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations, 501(c)(6) trade associations, and similar entities that are not required to reveal their funders. Figures below are never combined with disclosed-donor totals.
IRS 990 Schedule I Grant Chain
Grants between nonprofits reported on IRS Form 990 Schedule I. These inter-organizational transfers are a key pathway in dark money flows — a nonprofit may receive a grant from one entity and then spend that money on election ads.
IRS 990 Schedule I grants received
$52,963,448
| Grantor | Amount | Tax Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bny Mellon Charitable Gift Fund | $5,000,000 | 2024 | TO FURTHER THE ORGANIZATION'S EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| AMERICAN ENDOWMENT FOUNDATION | $31,866,463 | 2024 | PHILANTHROPY |
| COMMUNITIES FOUNDATION OF TEXAS | $240,987 | 2023 | THIS GRANT IS DESIGNATED FOR GENERAL SUPPORT. |
| Schwab Charitable | $4,051,608 | 2023 | PUBLIC, SOCIETAL BENEFIT |
| AYCO CHARITABLE FOUNDATION | $475,607 | 2023 | COMMUNITY & HUMAN SERVICES |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | $10,634,088 | 2022 | For grant recipient's exempt purposes |
| CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | $229,000 | 2022 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| EAST BAY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | $465,695 | 2022 | GILBERT FAMILY FUND (A2000125) |
Source: IRS Form 990 Schedule I (Grants and Other Assistance to Organizations) via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer and IRS 990 XML e-files. Grant amounts represent the most recent filing year available.
IRS 990 data lags a year or more behind filing. Grants shown are for the stated tax year and do not establish current-cycle funding.
Methodology Disclosure
Dark money figures are derived from FEC Form 5 (independent expenditures by non-committee organizations) and Form 9 (electioneering communications). These filings capture spending on ads and election communications but do not reveal the identity of the organization's donors. QPQ totals may differ from benchmarks like the Brennan Center's estimates because QPQ includes all Form 5 filers, while some benchmarks count only a subset of non-disclosing nonprofits. Grant chain data is from IRS Form 990 Schedule I and may not include all years or all grantee organizations.
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Relationships
| Type | Connected To | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Received money from | Bny Mellon Charitable Gift Fund | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $5,000,000 (tax year 2024). Purpose: TO FURTHER THE ORGANIZATION'S EXEMPT PURPOSE | Source |
| Received money from | AMERICAN ENDOWMENT FOUNDATION | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $31,866,463 (tax year 2024). Purpose: PHILANTHROPY | Source |
| Received money from | AYCO CHARITABLE FOUNDATION | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $475,607 (tax year 2023). Purpose: COMMUNITY & HUMAN SERVICES | Source |
| Received money from | CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $229,000 (tax year 2022). Purpose: PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY | Source |
| Received money from | EAST BAY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $465,695 (tax year 2022). Purpose: GILBERT FAMILY FUND (A2000125) | Source |
| Received money from | COMMUNITIES FOUNDATION OF TEXAS | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $240,987 (tax year 2023). Purpose: THIS GRANT IS DESIGNATED FOR GENERAL SUPPORT. | Source |
| Received money from | Schwab Charitable | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $4,051,608 (tax year 2023). Purpose: PUBLIC, SOCIETAL BENEFIT | Source |
| Received money from | Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $10,634,088 (tax year 2022). Purpose: For grant recipient's exempt purposes | Source |