With a team of experts following a due diligence process for each grant recommendation, Fidelity Charitable is focused on providing you peace of mind.
From well-recognized national charities to smaller, locally known charities and houses of worship, Fidelity Charitable conducts a robust and thorough review of each grant recommendation to ensure:
Grants are made only to IRS-qualified public charities
The IRS is the principal U.S. government agency responsible for determining which organizations are qualified public charities.
Grants are used solely for charitable purposes
Our review process is in place to ensure we maintain the integrity of the Fidelity Charitable grant making program, and the grants are going to support proper charitable purposes.
Grants do not provide impermissible benefits to donors or any other person
An “impermissible benefit” occurs when a grant allows a donor to receive a good or service that has a financial value, such as tickets to attend an event or an auction item.
While Fidelity Charitable does not endorse specific charities, we can help you support the causes that matter to you by providing guidance and resources to help you evaluate charities and make more informed giving decisions.
We encourage donors with concerns about the activities of any charitable organization to contact the IRS or state charity regulators.
Fidelity Charitable is a cause-neutral independent public charity and supports grantmaking to a wide range of charitable organizations as recommended by its donors. Grants are recommended by individual donors and are funded via the donor’s Giving Account.
Fidelity Charitable does not limit grantmaking based on political, religious, or philosophical grounds. Further, grants are not limited to specific charitable activities, fields of interest, or geographical or demographic criteria.
Donor-recommended grants do not, in any way, reflect the views of, or represent an endorsement by, Fidelity Charitable or Fidelity Investments. Similarly, by declining to approve a grant recommendation to a specific organization, Fidelity Charitable is not making any form of statement about that organization or its activities. Although Fidelity Charitable may decline a grant, donors may still choose to contribute from other funds.
Under governance and policies set by the Fidelity Charitable Board of Trustees, Fidelity Charitable conducts a robust review of each grant recommendation and takes into consideration data from a variety of sources, ranging from IRS databases, public records regarding litigation and governmental proceedings, to many other sources of information, including, but not limited to, news reports and information provided by donors, grantees, and others.
The Fidelity Charitable Board of Trustees is committed to ensuring all grants are made for charitable purposes. As such, the Trustees regularly review the Fidelity Charitable grantmaking policies and procedures.
The organization is being investigated for illegal activities or non-charitable activities, such as terrorism, money laundering, hate crimes, or fraud. In addition, other state and federal agencies may review the activities of a charitable organization, which can also affect whether Fidelity Charitable makes grants to an organization.