Honoring innovation, collaboration, and impact
The DAF Giving Summit Awards highlights visionary leaders driving philanthropy forward.
Celebrating Philanthropic Leaders
The DAF Giving Summit Awards recognize the individuals, advisors, organizations, and partnerships driving meaningful progress across the donor-advised fund ecosystem.
More than a recognition program, these awards are designed to help shape the future of philanthropy by highlighting scalable innovation, fostering deeper collaboration, and showcasing measurable impact. Through these awards, we celebrate those who are advancing charitable giving, improving philanthropic outcomes, and creating models that inspire the broader philanthropic community.
Award Eligibility & Timeline
Award Eligibility Window & Nomination Deadline: Coming soon
All awards will recognize impact demonstrated during the eligibility period. Nominations are welcome from donors, advisors, sponsoring organizations, nonprofit partners, and philanthropic leaders whose work has contributed to meaningful charitable outcomes.
Award Categories
| Who Are You Nominating? | Awards to Consider |
|---|---|
| Donor | Spark Impact Philanthropic Impact Award |
| Philanthropic Advisor | Spark Impact Advisor Innovation & Impact Philanthropic Impact Award |
| Wealth Advisor | Spark Impact Advisor Innovation & Impact Philanthropic Impact Award |
| DAF Program | Collaborative Excellence DAF Innovation Leadership Philanthropic Impact Award |
| Charity | Collaborative Excellence Philanthropic Impact Award |
| All Other | Philanthropic Impact Award |
The Spark Impact Award
Overview
The Spark Impact Award recognizes a donor—and, where applicable, their financial and/or philanthropic advisor—for a donor-advised fund contribution that directly enables a highly impactful grant.
This award celebrates the catalytic moments when philanthropy transforms ideas into action and funding into meaningful outcomes.
Heaven's 27
Collaborative Excellence Award
Overview
The Collaborative Excellence Award honors an exceptional partnership between a DAF program and a partner organization that together achieved greater impact than either could have independently.
This award recognizes the power of collaboration to expand philanthropic reach, improve efficiency, and create lasting outcomes.
Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial & National Philanthropic Trust
Advisor Innovation & Impact Award
Overview
The Advisor Innovation & Impact Award recognizes wealth advisors and philanthropic advisors who demonstrate exceptional innovation, collaboration, and measurable impact in advancing client philanthropy.
Sofia Michelakis & Michael Silvestri
DAF Innovation Leadership Award
Overview
The DAF Innovation Leadership Award recognizes a DAF sponsoring organization that has introduced meaningful innovation in technology, programs, partnerships, or operations that enhance both donor experience and philanthropic outcomes.
The Minneapolis Foundation
Philanthropic Impact Award
Overview
The Philanthropic Impact Award recognizes a philanthropic initiative that demonstrates meaningful charitable impact through leadership, generosity, innovation, community engagement, or collaboration.
This award celebrates transformative efforts that strengthen communities, inspire others, and advance the practice of philanthropy.
Sarah Kearney with the Prime Coalition
Why These Awards Matter
The DAF Giving Summit Awards shine a spotlight on the ideas, partnerships, and leaders advancing the future of philanthropy. By recognizing innovation, collaboration, and measurable impact, the awards help elevate best practices, encourage new approaches to charitable giving, and inspire the next generation of philanthropic leadership.
The stories recognized through these awards demonstrate what is possible when donors, advisors, sponsoring organizations, nonprofits, and community leaders work together to create lasting change.
Submit a Nomination
Know an individual, advisor, organization, or partnership making an extraordinary impact through philanthropy? We invite you to help recognize the leaders and innovators shaping the future of charitable giving.
Awards will recognize impact demonstrated between January 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026. All nominations must be submitted by July 24, 2026, to be considered.
Click the link below to submit your award nomination and share a story of impact, innovation, and philanthropic excellence.
A look back at the winners
