DISCLAIMERS

The Australian Communities Foundation (ACF) is one of Australia's leading independent philanthropic foundations — a not-for-profit organisation that helps individuals, families, businesses and communities give effectively to the causes they care about. For more than 25 years, ACF has worked towards a fairer, more sustainable and inclusive Australia, and today supports a community of over a thousand everyday philanthropists giving across the country.

ACF operates as a community foundation and a registered public ancillary fund. This structure allows it to receive tax-deductible donations, invest them responsibly, and distribute grants to charitable organisations on behalf of its donors. ACF is governed by Australian Communities Foundation Limited, a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee that acts as Trustee, with a board of volunteer directors drawn from across the community. All funds are managed under a 100% responsible investment approach, so money entrusted to ACF can grow while doing good.

How ACF operates in relation to sub-funds:

A sub-fund (also called a named fund or donor-advised fund) is a charitable giving account established within ACF. Rather than setting up a standalone charitable trust — with its own governance, auditing and compliance obligations — a donor can open a sub-fund that sits under ACF's umbrella and draws on its established structure.

Because the sub-fund operates under the auspices of ACF as a public ancillary fund, ACF as Trustee takes on the legal, administrative and investment responsibilities. This means a sub-fund enjoys all the benefits of a public ancillary fund — tax-deductibility, responsible investment, professional administration — without the regulatory burden of running a foundation independently. A sub-fund is not a separate legal entity, and the person who opens it is not the trustee; ACF holds and manages the funds in trust.

In practice, the relationship works like this:

• Donations are received and receipted by ACF. When a gift is made to a sub-fund, ACF issues a tax-deductible receipt immediately and holds the money in trust. ACF holds Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, so eligible donations are tax-deductible.
• Funds are invested for growth and impact. Contributions are responsibly invested, allowing the fund to grow over time as well as support grants in the present.
• The donor recommends grants; ACF actions them. The sub-fund holder makes grant recommendations to the causes and organisations they wish to support, and the Trustee actions those requests, provided there is no legal reason it cannot. While the Trustee retains ultimate legal responsibility, in practice ACF places a strong emphasis on following the wishes of its donors.
• Compliance and reporting are handled by ACF. Ongoing administration, auditing, investment management and regulatory compliance are managed centrally by ACF, leaving donors free to focus on their giving.

This model gives every sub-fund the strength and credibility of an established, well-governed foundation, while allowing donors to give strategically, flexibly and with lasting impact — including beyond their own lifetime.