Our promise: We never sell or share your details. No spam, no newsletter, no follow-up updates — just one conversation, when you're ready.
For Australian Private Giving Funds

The more your fund grows,
the more you can give.

Treasury has renamed Private Ancillary Funds to Private Giving Funds — and lifted the minimum annual distribution to 6%. If your PGF is going to keep faith with multi-year commitments, every percentage point of return matters. We share what we are doing at our family's giving fund. No pressure. Just a conversation. Trustee to Trustee.

What we wanted
The Treasury Reform · February 2026

Private Ancillary Funds are now Private Giving Funds.

On 26 February 2026, the Assistant Minister for Charities and Treasury announced reforms responding to the Productivity Commission's Future Foundations for Giving report. The headline is a name change. The substance is a higher distribution rate. Here's what's changed for trustees.

01

The new name

Private and Public Ancillary Funds will be known as Private Giving Funds and Public Giving Funds. The change reflects their core purpose — distributing to charities — rather than accumulating capital indefinitely. Existing funds don't need to be re-established.

02

6% distribution

The minimum annual distribution rate becomes 6% of net assets, replacing the current 5% for private funds and 4% for public funds. It applies from the first financial year after the relevant guidelines are amended.

03

Three-year smoothing

Funds can average distributions over a three-year period, supporting larger or multi-year commitments without forcing a single-year capital draw-down. A small but meaningful piece of trustee flexibility.

Source: Treasury Ministers media release (10 June 2025) and the announcement of 26 February 2026 by the Assistant Minister for Charities and Treasury. Always check the latest guidelines and ATO guidance — the rules continue to evolve.

Why Now

The cost-of-living squeeze means charities need giving funds more than ever.

Australians are still generous, but the everyday donor is under pressure. Regular giving has fallen. Emergency-only giving has risen. Smaller charities — the ones closest to the ground — are receiving fewer donations than they did a year ago. Structured philanthropy, given consistently and patiently, has rarely mattered more.

45%
of surveyed Australians say cost-of-living and housing pressures have hindered their ability to give
McCrindle / IBT, 2024
8→13
Australia's drop in the global rankings of charitable givers as a share of population (2024 vs 2025)
CAF World Giving Index, 2025
0.4%
growth in donations and bequests across the Australian charity sector last reporting period (excluding one outlier gift)
ACNC Australian Charities Report, 11th ed.
56%
of extra-small charities received donations or bequests, down from 66% — the smallest charities are squeezed hardest
ACNC Australian Charities Report, 11th ed.
"

Five years ago, 60% of Australian fundraising was regular giving, with 40% from emergency appeals. That has now flipped. Regular, predictable support — exactly what a Private Giving Fund delivers — is harder to come by, and worth more than ever.

— Fundraising Institute of Australia, on the changing shape of generosity
The Calculator · What could the next 10 years look like ...

Move the slider. Watch what your fund could give.

A simple model: starting balance, expected annual return, and the new 6% minimum distribution. The slider runs from 10% per annum (a steady benchmark) up to 25% (an exceptional outcome). Higher returns don't just mean more capital — they mean more dollars walking out the door, every year, to the causes you love.

$500K $1M $1.5M $2M
10% 15% 20% 25%
6% (min) 10% 15% 20%

The 6% minimum distribution is the new Treasury rule — slide higher to model giving more than the minimum. The manager's terms apply: no admin fees, the first 10% p.a. is performance-fee free, and a 25% performance fee applies only to returns above 10%. Illustrative only — past performance is not a guide to future returns, and this is not financial advice.

Over 10 years
Total donated
$360,183
cumulative distributions to Australian DGRs over 10 years
Net earned Donated
Year 1 distribution
$120,000
Year 10 distribution
$196,000
Closing balance · Year 10
$3,267,000
Vs. starting balance
+63%
Net return after fees
10.0% p.a.
Performance fees · 10yr
$0
What we wanted

Three things we look for in a manager for our giving fund.

Our PGF is administered by Australian Philanthropic Services, who have been excellent. Separately, for the investment side, we've found a fund manager whose terms reflect that giving funds are different from ordinary capital.

No admin fees

Every basis point not paid in administration is a basis point that can be given to a charity. For a giving fund, this is the most direct lever there is.

First 10% p.a. is performance-fee free

You pay performance fees only on the returns above 10% per annum. It is a structure built for funds whose first job is to give, not to enrich a manager.

$500,000 minimum

The arrangement is intended for established Private Giving Funds. It isn't right for everyone — and that's the point of a conversation rather than a sign-up form.

And most importantly — your fund's money stays in your name.

The capital remains in an account controlled by you, not the fund manager. The manager invests on your instructions; they never hold your funds. It's the structural protection every Private Giving Fund deserves.

Get in touch

Curious if it fits your PGF?

Contact us. We'll have a conversation, share what's worked for our family's giving fund, and — only if it might genuinely suit yours — make an introduction. There's no obligation, no follow-up sequence, no list, no clip and no fee.

A good question to start with

How do the returns and fees in the calculator above compare to what your fund is achieving right now? If you're not sure of the answer, that itself is worth a conversation.

Start a conversation
Our promise to you Your email goes only to us. We never sell, share, rent, trade, or pass on your details to anyone — no fund manager, no marketer, no list. No spam, no newsletter, no follow-up updates. If you decide not to take it further, your email goes in the bin. That's a real promise, and it's the whole reason we built this site the way we did.