Thrivent Charitable’s generous donors are committed to supporting a variety of organizations across our local, national, and global communities. By utilizing a donor-advised fund, donors provide grants to support the charities and causes closest to their hearts. As a nonprofit or faith-based organization, you may have questions about our services and how Thrivent Charitable donors can support your work. Below are answers to common questions.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
A grantee organization is a 501(c)(3) public charity that can be supported through a donor-advised fund a donor has entrusted Thrivent Charitable to administer.
A donor-advised fund (DAF) is a charitable investment account and provides donors with the giving flexibility needed to provide grant support to the organizations and causes they care about most. Donors have contributed these assets to Thrivent Charitable, and donors advise their use to support charitable work.
We believe humanity thrives when people make the most of all they’ve been given. Thrivent Charitable Impact & Investing helps people do just that—bring their generosity to life so that they can support the organizations and causes closest to their hearts, now and into the future. Grounded in our purpose to serve, we take a holistic, personalized approach to help our donors create strategic charitable plans and give in a way that best reflects their values and financial priorities. Together, we are committed to creating positive impact and inspiring lasting change in our communities.
Thrivent Charitable makes grants only to IRS-qualified public charities, which includes public charities that have a 501(c)(3) designation, governmental and/or religious organizations. While the vast majority of grants recommended by donors are honored by Thrivent Charitable, the following are types of grant requests to organizations that are not permissible:
- Grants that provide a more than incidental benefit to the donor or other third party. This includes: all or a portion of the cost to attend a charitable event, goods bought at charitable auctions, raffle tickets, grants that fulfill fundraising or other commitments or pledges, or that are directed to or for the benefit of specific individuals (e.g., school tuition, scholarships earmarked for individuals);
- Grants to organizations whose purpose or work is not solely charitable or when the grant will be used for a non-charitable purpose (e.g., cemeteries, VFW, fraternal societies);
- Grants to private non-operating foundations; and
- Grants to (501)(c)(3) supporting organizations that cannot verify they would be considered Type I or Type II by the IRS.
To ensure that donors can find your organization in our database, make sure that the name your organization is doing business as matches the name you have registered with the IRS.
Donor may recommend grants through their donor-advised funds through two methods: Online through their Fund Dashboard or complete the Grant Recommendation form and return it to Thrivent Charitable. Donors may also schedule recurring grants.
In its role as steward, Thrivent Charitable performs due diligence on all grants before approval to ensure they meet our standards and IRS standards. Once grants are requested and approved by our team, grant checks are generally distributed within five to seven business days. In some cases, it may take longer to complete the approval process. Grant checks are distributed directly from donor funds to the selected charities.
If the donor/recommender would like to receive acknowledgement and thanks directly from you, you will find their contact information included in the letter that accompanied the check. We've created a sample thank you letter to help you get started on thanking donors' grants from their donor-advised funds.
We ask that you not acknowledge the grant to us by mail, as we are unable to accommodate forwarding mail to donors.
We are including a sample letter you will receive regarding any grants made to your organization and where to find information to send your appreciation to the donor.
Donors are eligible to claim their potential tax deduction upon making a gift to fund their donor-advised fund at Thrivent Charitable, not when they distribute grants to organizations such as yours. Donors are not eligible to receive a tax deduction in connection to any grant recommendations to organizations.
Thrivent Charitable is working on offering this feature soon.
Thrivent Charitable does not accept unsolicited grant requests. Our grantmaking works in two ways.
First, we help donors support their favorite charities and causes through individual donor advised funds. Once a donor creates their donor-advised fund with Thrivent Charitable, they are eligible to recommend grants to IRS-qualified charities. No application is necessary from the grantee.
Second, we address larger issues with a unified voice through our Impact Funds. The grant application process for Impact Funds is by invitation only.
To learn more about Thrivent and its generosity offerings please visit the website Generosity | Thrivent. You may also be interested to Locate a Thrivent Member Network | Thrivent for your area. Finding out the local financial representatives is also beneficial. They would have particular insight into their client’s charitable interests – some of which may have funds at Thrivent Charitable – and or local giving opportunities.
Our donor services and grants team are here to support you. Contact our team any time you have questions at grants@thrivent.com or call us at 800-365-4172.