GEMS: Unlocking the power of Private Ancillary Funds (PAFs) for your non-profit

What is a PAF?

A Private Ancillary Fund (PAF) is a unique charitable fund created and controlled by individuals, families, or organisations. The ‘private’ aspect means that it’s not open to the public—it’s a tailored giving vehicle for those who want to make a meaningful impact in the charitable sector. Public Ancillary Funds (PuAFs) differ from PAFs in that they can accept money from the public to disperse to non-profits.

Ancillary funds are regulated by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Both private and public ancillary funds have a specific Deductible Gift Recipients (DGR) category.

Distributions from the PAF must be made to other Deductible Gift Recipients, who are organisations that can receive tax-deductible donations. Therefore, to receive PAF funding, your non-profit must be endorsed as a DGR.

PAFs play a crucial role in supporting Australian non-profits (read more in our blog post here), yet many organisations still don’t understand the benefits of PAF funding or know how to go about accessing funding.

That’s where the Strategic Grants team of experts comes in.

Why should PAFs play a role in your non-profit’s grant-seeking strategy?

Tailored giving: PAFs offer a platform for philanthropists to align their charitable giving with their values and passions. This means your non-profit could benefit from donors who are genuinely passionate about your cause.

Strategic impact: PAFs often take a strategic approach to philanthropy. They may engage in long-term partnerships with charities, enabling you to plan and execute impactful projects, especially if you invest in your relationships with your donors (one of our grant-seeking best practices!).

Using GEMS to unlock the power of PAFS for your organisation

Looking for your own guide to PAF funding?

The GEMS grants database contains all publicly available PAFs, regularly updated by our team of expert grants researchers. They update PAF data directly within your customised GEM portal (so you don’t have to!), including:

how much they have distributed in the past and to what organisations,

the sectors they have funded and are likely to fund,

their directors,

contact details if publicly available, plus more.

It’s important to note that not all PAF information is publicly available, but if you’re looking for one grants database that gives you PAF information and reports PLUS all other available funding opportunities from trusts and foundations, health and medical research funders, corporate foundations, local, state and federal government grants and tenders, and international funders that give to Australian charities, GEMS is it.