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Philanthropy & Giving Oct 29 2026

2026 End-of-Year Charitable Giving: Important Dates & Deadlines for Gifts & Grants

The end of the year is approaching and we at The Chicago Community Trust are committed to making your year-end giving and grantmaking from your donor advised fund as simple and easy as possible. Please review these deadlines to ensure that all your gifts and grants intended for 2026 are completed.

Please note that The Chicago Community Trust will be closed on Thursday, December 24 and Friday, December 25. 

Grants from Donor Advised Funds to Nonprofit Organizations

To U.S.-based Nonprofit Organizations: 
Wednesday, December 16, 2026

  • Please submit your grant recommendations in the Donor Portal by midnight Central Time on Wednesday, December 16 if you would like to ensure that grant checks are mailed to the grant recipient before December 31. Please be reminded that there are no tax implications for you for grants from your DAF, so it is not imperative that organizations receive your grants before December 31 unless they coincide with its fiscal year end. In our experience, recipient organizations are delighted to receive DAF grants at any time, so we encourage grantmaking throughout the year. Please contact your Philanthropic Advisor if you have questions or concerns. 

To non-U.S. based Nonprofit Organizations:

  • Grants to non-U.S. nonprofit organizations require extensive vetting and evaluation that can take several weeks to complete. Please contact your Philanthropic Advisor as early as possible for details if you wish to recommend such a grant. 

Charitable Gifts to The Chicago Community Trust and/or Donor Advised Funds at The Chicago Community Foundation

Marketable Securities:
Thursday, December 31, 2026

  • Gifts of publicly traded stock, bonds, and other securities must be deemed completed by the end of the day on Thursday, December 31, 2026. You may wish to contact your financial services firm because they may have deadlines for initiating transfers to ensure we receive them by year-end.

Mutual Funds:
Thursday, December 31, 2026

  • Gifts of mutual funds must be deemed completed by the end of the day on Thursday, December 31, 2026. Because they often take longer to complete, we recommend initiating transfers no later than Wednesday, December 2, 2026. You may also wish to contact your financial services firm because they may have deadlines for initiating transfers to ensure we receive them by year-end.

Gifts sent via USPS:
Postmarked by Thursday, December 31, 2026

  • Gifts by check and sent via U.S. Mail must be postmarked on or before Thursday, December 31, 2026. 

Gifts sent via Private Mailing Services:
Received by Thursday, December 31, 2026

  • Gifts by check and sent via private mailing services such as FedEx or UPS must be received by the Trust at our office by 5:00 p.m. Thursday, December 31, 2026. 

ACH and Cash Wire Transfers:
Thursday, December 31, 2026

  • ACH and Cash wire transfers must be received by the Trust on or before Thursday, December 31, 2026. Please contact your Philanthropic Advisor or donorservices@cct.org for gift instruction details.  

Closely Held Business Interests:
Friday, November 20, 2026

  • Gifts of closely held business interests, including private stock, LLC interests, and partnership interests, are accepted on a case-by-case basis. Donors wishing to make gifts of this kind should contact their Philanthropic Advisor at the Trust or donorservices@cct.org as soon as possible to begin that process, but no later than Friday, November 20, 2026, to determine whether the gift can be completed by year-end. 

Charitable Trusts and Gift Annuities:
Friday, November 20, 2026

  • When assets will be used to fund a charitable trust or charitable gift annuity, please contact donorservices@cct.org at your earliest convenience, but no later than Friday, November 20, 2026, to determine whether your gift can be completed by year-end. 
  • Other assets, such as real estate, may require approval from our Gift Acceptance Committee. We request that you initiate these donations as soon as possible. Please contact donorservices@cct.org for assistance. 

Questions?

The Chicago Community Trust is committed to making your giving easy and effective. Contact donorservices@cct.org with questions.

Thank you for your consideration, and we wish you a peaceful and happy holiday season!

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