On Friday, October 8, 2026, Catholic Charities of New York joins nonprofits and donors across the country in celebrating DAF Day, a national movement encouraging donors to recommend charitable grants from their Donor-Advised Funds.
If you already have a Donor-Advised Fund, DAF Day is an opportunity to put your charitable dollars to work for the organizations and communities you care about.
“Using a donor-advised fund enabled me to be more thoughtful about my giving,” says Susan Trammell, a longtime Catholic Charities of New York donor.
At Catholic Charities of New York, a DAF grant can help provide a meal to a neighbor facing hunger, support a family experiencing housing instability, assist an older adult, or help children and families find greater stability and hope.
What Is a Donor-Advised Fund?
A Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) is a charitable giving account that allows you to contribute assets to a sponsoring organization and recommend grants to eligible nonprofits over time.
DAFs are offered by organizations such as Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, Vanguard Charitable, community foundations, and other charitable sponsors.
Here’s how it works:
• You contribute. You contribute cash, securities, or other eligible assets to your DAF and generally receive an immediate charitable tax deduction.
• Your charitable dollars can grow. Assets in your DAF can be invested and potentially grow tax-free.
• You recommend grants. You decide which qualified charities receive grants from your DAF and how much you would like to recommend.
For many donors, a DAF provides a convenient way to organize charitable giving while supporting the causes and organizations that matter most.
Have a Donor-Advised Fund? Recommend a grant to Catholic Charities of New York through DAF Direct here.
How One Donor Uses Her DAF to Make a Difference
For more than a decade, Susan Trammell has supported Catholic Charities of New York with a thoughtful and deeply personal approach to giving. She has come to see generosity as a privilege, and her Donor-Advised Fund has helped her be intentional about supporting organizations whose work matters to her.
Susan says one thing she particularly values about Catholic Charities of New York is the ability to understand how her support can make a difference.
“Whenever I’ve asked what the impact of a gift would be, Catholic Charities has been able to tell me very clearly how far my donation will go and what program they have in mind. That’s very comforting to a donor,” she says.
We don’t realize how lucky we are to be able to help someone, to give some of our time or our resources to people who may never be able to thank us. To be able to say, today I did something for the good.
Through visits, conversations with staff, and learning more about Catholic Charities’ programs, Susan has seen firsthand how the organization meets people where they are, from youth programs in Harlem to support for people experiencing homelessness and assistance for immigrant and refugee families.
When you give something to someone else, when you help them, you end up loving them more because of it. I often think nobody loves the drowning man more than the person who jumped into the river to save him.
Her experience reflects one of the benefits of giving through a DAF: the flexibility to thoughtfully recommend grants to organizations and programs that align with your charitable priorities.
“If you want to help somebody, you can do a lot right here in our own backyard. Catholic Charities identifies a problem, puts together a solution, and then measures the results. And the solution is motivated by charity and by faith. That is a very strong combination,” Susan says.
Ready to Make a Difference?
If you have a Donor-Advised Fund, you can recommend a grant to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York throug DAF Direct here.
You can also recommend a grant directly through your DAF provider by searching for our Legal Name, Address, and Tax ID below.
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York
488 Madison Avenue, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10022
Federal Tax ID: 13-5562184
