Fees and Minimums at The Signatry
Revolutionary generosity requires radical transparency
As a donor, you want to be a good steward of the resources God has entrusted to you. Understanding the fees, expenses, and minimums associated with a donor advised fund is a critical part of developing a long-term, faith-based charitable giving plan. Below, you will find the details about costs and minimums associated with donor advised funds, designated funds, and charity funds at The Signatry.
Our Stewardship Commitment to You
Integrity & Transparency
We will be straightforward about any fees and expenses associated with funds at The Signatry, and we will communicate clearly about any changes that may occur.
Generosity Focused
Our goal is to send as many dollars as possible out to God’s kingdom. We continue to work hard to keep fund costs low because we value the heart behind your gifts.
Kingdom First
From investment options to grant recipients, we take extra steps to ensure charitable dollars are aligned with values that reflect the kingdom of God.
Understanding DAF Fees and More
The various fees and expenses related to donor advised funds, designated funds, and charity funds can be confusing, especially if you are comparing one fund sponsor to another. We use three categories to define these items: fund fees and minimums, investment option fees, and transaction fees and expenses.
Fund Fees & Minimums
These fees and requirements apply to a fund as a whole, inclusive of all of the assets within the fund
Investment Option Fees
Donors can choose to recommend a portion of a fund balance be invested through various tools. These fees apply to those investment options.
Transaction Fees & Expenses
Transactions include both contributing to a fund and recommending a grant from a fund. Some transactions may involve fees and/or expenses.
Fund Fees and Minimums
At The Signatry, we see donor advised funds as tools to facilitate revolutionary generosity, making it possible to solve the world’s greatest problems. Because of this, we minimize fees and minimums that apply to opening, maintaining, and using a fund, making them accessible to all.
Fund Item
Amount
Administrative Fee
None
Minimum Opening Contribution
None
Minimum Balance
None
Grant Recommendation Fee
None
Minimum Grant Amount
$100
Fund Administrative Fee
Fund-level administrative fees, based on total assets under management (“AUM”), are a common fee charged by most donor advised fund sponsors. These are usually calculated as a percentage charged against the average daily balance of the fund.
As a reflection of our mission to inspire and facilitate revolutionary biblical generosity, The Signatry does not charge an administrative fee on donor advised funds, designated funds, or charity funds.
Fund Minimums
Contribution Minimums
The Signatry does not have a minimum contribution requirement for donor advised funds, designated funds, or charity funds. We believe donor advised funds should be a tool available to every person seeking to live generously.
Investment Access Minimum
We also do not have minimum contribution or fund balance requirements for accessing investment options, including advisor managed accounts (AMAs).
Grant Minimums
The minimum grant amount out of a donor advised fund, designated fund, or charity fund is $100.
Investment Option Fees
When stewarding the holdings of a fund at The Signatry, a robust set of investment options are available to recommend from, including our Biblically Responsible Investment Pools. Learn more about our investment options and associated expenses below.
Money Market Pool*
Biblically Responsible Investment Pools
Advisor Managed Accounts
Alternative Investments
Minimum Investment Amount
None
None
None
Opportunity dependent
Investment Option Fee
(The Signatry)
None
Included in pool returns
Tiered by investment size
Tiered by investment size
Setup Fee
None
None
None
2% (not to exceed $60,000)
Investment Management Fee
(Fund Manager)
None
Included in pool returns
Set by advisor
Varies by investment
*Money Market Pool
Our money market pool carries no minimum investment amount and no fees. We employ financial-industry-accepted best practices of sharing growth in our money market pool earnings with our donor advised funds, designated funds, and charity funds.
Biblically Responsible Investment Pools
Each of our biblically responsible investment pools is comprised of businesses screened for sustainable, ethical, biblically responsible business practices. These pools have no minimum investment amount and no setup fee. Investment option fees and any management fees related to the products in the investment pool are automatically included in pool returns. All performance is reported on a net return basis. View the full investment pool options here.
Investment Pool
Risk Profile
Investment Option Fee
Conservative Allocation Pool
Low to Moderate
35 basis points
Moderate Allocation Pool
Moderate to Moderately Aggressive
75 basis points
Aggressive Allocation Pool
Aggressive
75 basis points
Advisor Managed Accounts
Funds at The Signatry may have part of their balance placed in investments managed by an external advisor. Balances in advisor managed investment accounts are subject to an annualized investment option fee assessed quarterly on the assets allocated to this investment option according to the following schedule:
Asset Total Investment
Investment Option Fee
Up to $24,999
90 basis points
$25,000 – $99,999
75 basis points
$100,000 – $999,999
60 basis points
$1,000,000 – $99,999,999
50 basis points
$100,000,000 and higher
25 basis points
Note that the investment option fee is determined by the total balance of assets invested in a specific type of option; it is not tiered.
Assets managed by an external advisor may also be subject to an investment management fee charged by the advisor and the investment products they choose. These fees are paid from the fund. The advisor’s management fees are not revenue for The Signatry. For more information on these fees, please contact your financial advisor.
To maintain liquidity for granting activities and for fees and expenses, funds may not initially invest more than 90% of their total balance in advisor managed accounts and alternative investments.
Click here for more information on advisor managed accounts.
Alternative Investments
Funds at The Signatry may have part of their balance invested in alternative investment options. When a portion of a fund balance is invested in an alternative investment, an origination fee of 2% of the invested value (with a maximum origination fee of $60,000) is assessed.
An annualized investment option fee is assessed on the assets invested this option according to the following schedule:
Asset Total Investment
Investment Option Fee
Up to $2,999,999
75 basis points
$3,000,000 – $4,999,999
55 basis points
$5,000,000 – $9,999,999
35 basis points
$10,000,000 and higher
25 basis points
To maintain liquidity for granting activities and for fees and expenses, funds may not initially invest more than 90% of their total balance in advisor managed accounts and alternative investments. For more information on alternative investments, please contact investments@thesignatry.com.
Contribution Method
Contribution Fee
Transaction Fee (third-party processor)
Check / Wire
None
None
E-Check / ACH
None
Yes
Credit / Debit Card
None
Yes
Cryptocurrency
None
Yes
Publicly Traded Securities
None
None
Nonliquid Gifts
Minimum Stakeholder Grant
None
Credit Card and E-check/ACH Transaction
Credit/debit card and eCheck/ACH transaction fees for fund contributions are charged by our payment processor. The contributor will be receipted for the full amount of the contribution. The fund will reflect the gift amount minus the cost of the fee.
Visa / MasterCard / Discover
American Express
ACH / E-Check
2.2% + $0.30 per transaction
3.5% + $0.30 per transaction
0.8% per transaction with a cap of $5 (no transaction, regardless of amount will be charged more than $5)
Cryptocurrency Transaction Fees
Fund contributions of cryptocurrency are subject to a 2% transaction fee charged by our payment processor. There are no additional fees charged by The Signatry for contributions of cryptocurrency.
Nonliquid Gift Expenses
To offset costs related to accepting a nonliquid gift, funds at The Signatry that receive nonliquid gifts make a minimum stakeholder grant to The Signatry, following a tiered minimum schedule outlined below. If the nonliquid gift is held for longer than one year, an annualized management fee will be assessed according to a tiered schedule starting in the second year the gift is held.
Asset Range
Minimum Stakeholder Grant
Management Fee (for gifts held past 1 year)
Up to $2,000,000
$50,000
75 basis points
$2,000,001 – $2,999,999
$75,000
75 basis points
$3,000,000 – $4,999,999
$125,000
55 basis points
$5,000,000 – $9,999,999
$150,000
35 basis points
$10,000,000 – $49,999,999
$175,000
25 basis points
$50,000,000 and higher
$300,000
15 basis points
Grant Delivery Requests
Grants through The Signatry are typically paid via ACH transfer to the receiving nonprofit’s bank account. There are no fees for a typical grant payment.
There are occasions where a donor may advise a different method of payment for grants.
Wire Fee
Expedited Physical Check
If a grant delivery is requested via wire, a $25 fee will be assessed.
If a grant is requested to be paid by check via expedited overnight delivery, a $25 fee will be assessed.