Direct charitable activities (DCA) are those in which the foundation maintains some significant involvement, rather than simply awarding a grant to a recipient that carries out the activity.
Examples of direct charitable activities include:
- Conducting educational seminars and conferences
- Providing goods, shelter, or clothing in which the foundation maintains some significant involvement (e.g., the distribution or delivery of the materials), rather than simply making grants to a recipient that carries out the activity
- Conducting research having significance beyond the foundation’s grant program and not constituting lobbying
- Publishing and disseminating the results of such research, reports of educational conferences, or similar educational material
- Supporting the service of foundation staff on boards or advisory committees of other charitable organizations or on public commissions or task forces
- Providing technical assistance to grantees
The expenses associated with DCAs count toward a foundation’s qualifying distributions and must be reported annually on the foundation’s Form 990-PF. Expenses attributable to reviewing grant applications or reports, conducting site visits, or selecting grantees usually do not constitute DCAs.
Administrative expenses may be higher for foundations that undertake a significant percentage of DCAs.
Still have questions?
Members can access staff experts through our Q&A service by calling 202-580-6560, or post a question to the member community to hear form peers in the field.
Explore our Q&A archive