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Give Through Your Donor-Advised Fund | RFLD
Certified Since 2025

Give through
your donor-advised fund.

If you hold a DAF at ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Hospital, United Way Worldwide, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, National Philanthropic Trust, Schwab Charitable Fund, Feeding America, CAF America, Direct Relief, Salvation Army, American Online Giving Foundation, Good 360, Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund, Chicago Community Trust, Goodwill Industries International, The Y, American Endowment Foundation, Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program, Harvard University, ImpactAssets, or any qualified US sponsor, you can now recommend a grant to RFLD directly — no fiscal sponsorship, no expenditure responsibility, fully tax-deductible.

How to Recommend a Grant Copy-Paste Fields
What Your DAF Sponsor Needs to See
Legal Name
Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement
Search As
RFLD · Women Leaders Network for Development
US Tax Status
NGOsource ED — 501(c)(3) Public Charity Equivalent
Offices
Senegal · Ghana · Benin · The Gambia
Why This Page Exists

RFLD is now eligible to receive
DAF grants directly.

In 2025, RFLD received NGOsource 501(c)(3) Equivalency Determination — a vetted certification that RFLD meets the standards of a US public charity under IRS rules. For you as a DAF donor, this changes what's possible in three practical ways.

Direct Grant

Your DAF sponsor can process the grant to RFLD directly. No fiscal sponsor needed. No intermediary fees. The grant lands with us.

No Expenditure Responsibility

Your DAF sponsor doesn't need to run special international-grant compliance. NGOsource ED satisfies the IRS requirement for "equivalency."

Fully Tax-Deductible

Your original contribution to the DAF is deductible in the year you made it, as with any US charity. DAF mechanics are unchanged.

Not sure what NGOsource ED means or why it matters? Quick explainer below →

Step by Step

How to recommend a grant to RFLD from your DAF.

DAF sponsors handle recommendations slightly differently, but the information you enter is the same. Select your DAF sponsor below for the specific instructions. For any US sponsor not listed — community foundations, employer-linked DAFs, faith-based DAFs — the generic instructions apply.

Fidelity Charitable

Largest US DAF sponsor. Log in to your Giving Account at fidelitycharitable.org.

Open Fidelity Portal
  1. 01

    Log in and select "Recommend a Grant"

    From your Giving Account dashboard, choose Recommend a Grant.

  2. 02

    Search for RFLD

    In the charity search field, try these search terms in this order:

    • → Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement
    • → Women Leaders Network for Development
    • → RFLD Benin

    If none of the search terms return us, skip to Step 4 — that means we're in Fidelity's "add new charity" path, and we'll work through it together.

  3. 03

    Confirm the listing

    Look for the Benin address and the NGOsource / equivalency note. Select the organisation.

  4. 04

    If RFLD is not yet in Fidelity's database

    Fidelity's international charity search can take 2–5 business days for new additions. You have two options:

    • Option A. Contact Fidelity Charitable at 1-800-262-6039 and request they add RFLD via NGOsource. Reference our Equivalency Determination file on NGOsource (they can verify directly).
    • Option B. Email partnerships@rflgd.org — we can send you our NGOsource ED certificate and address lookup details to speed up Fidelity's verification.
  5. 05

    Enter the grant amount and purpose

    If Fidelity asks for a grant purpose, suggested language:

    "Unrestricted support for RFLD's programmes across francophone Africa, including the West African Francophone Feminist Fund (WAFFF) and the Africa Portfolio Grant."
  6. 06

    Choose acknowledgment preferences

    If you'd like us to thank you personally, select "Share my name and contact information with RFLD." If you prefer anonymous giving, that's equally fine — the grant still arrives with the same tax treatment.

  7. 07

    Submit the recommendation

    Typical processing time: 3–10 business days. International grants may take longer on first occurrence but are straightforward on repeat grants.

Schwab Charitable

Log in to your Schwab Charitable account at schwabcharitable.org.

Open Schwab Portal
  1. 01

    Log in and select "Grant"

    From your dashboard, click Grant, then Recommend a Grant.

  2. 02

    Search the charity database

    Schwab uses the same NGOsource equivalency system. Search:

    • → RFLD
    • → Reseau des Femmes Leaders (without accents also works)
    • → Women Leaders Network Development Benin
  3. 03

    If RFLD is not in Schwab's index yet

    Call Schwab Charitable at 1-800-746-6216 and request an equivalency-determination review. Mention RFLD holds current NGOsource ED.

  4. 04

    Enter amount, purpose, and submit

    Suggested purpose language is in the Fidelity tab above — identical.

Vanguard Charitable

Log in to your Vanguard Charitable account at vanguardcharitable.org.

Open Vanguard Portal
  1. 01

    Log in and choose "Grant"

    Select Grant from your account menu, then Recommend a grant to a new charity.

  2. 02

    Search for RFLD

    Vanguard accepts equivalency-determined international charities via NGOsource. Use the same search terms.

  3. 03

    For not-yet-indexed additions

    Call Vanguard Charitable at 1-888-383-4483. Mention that RFLD is NGOsource-certified.

  4. 04

    Submit

    Vanguard will process the grant within 5–10 business days for an international recipient on first grant, faster on subsequent grants.

ImpactAssets

ImpactAssets is the DAF sponsor built for impact-first donors. Log in at impactassets.org.

Open ImpactAssets
  1. 01

    Log in to your Giving Account

    ImpactAssets donor-advisors commonly fund international feminist and climate work directly. The system supports NGOsource equivalency routing.

  2. 02

    Submit a grant recommendation

    Search for RFLD, or if not yet indexed, submit a new-charity request. ImpactAssets actively reviews international charity additions and often processes NGOsource-certified orgs the same week.

  3. 03

    Consider a multi-year recommendation

    ImpactAssets donor-advisors often set up recurring recommendations. If you're moved to give more than once, a multi-year recommendation allows RFLD to plan programmes more confidently.

Community Foundations, Employer DAFs, or Any Other US Sponsor

The process is essentially identical at every qualified US DAF sponsor — community foundations, faith-based DAFs, Morgan Stanley GIFT, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund, National Philanthropic Trust, American Endowment Foundation, and many others.

  1. 01

    Recommend a grant via your sponsor's portal or advisor

    If your sponsor has an online portal, search RFLD. If your sponsor works via a named advisor, email or call them with the recommendation details.

  2. 02

    Provide RFLD's credentials

    Any sponsor's compliance team will ask for verification of charitable status. Give them:

    • → RFLD holds a current NGOsource Equivalency Determination (the vetted standard for international equivalency).
    • → They can verify directly via ngosource.org.
    • → Contact partnerships@rflgd.org for our ED certificate, address lookup, and governance documentation.
  3. 03

    If your DAF requires "expenditure responsibility" — it doesn't for RFLD

    NGOsource ED means the IRS treats the grant as a domestic grant to a US public charity. No expenditure responsibility. No additional reporting. If your sponsor is unfamiliar, refer them to NGOsource.

Quick Reference

Copy-paste fields for your DAF form.

Every field below can be pasted directly into a DAF recommendation form. If a field below is not requested by your sponsor, skip it.

Organization Legal Name
Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement
Alternative / English Name
Women Leaders Network for Development (RFLD)
Registered Address (Benin)
Cotonou, Benin
US Tax Status
NGOsource ED (501(c)(3) Equivalent) — certified since 2025
Contact Email for Compliance
partnerships@rflgd.org
Suggested Grant Purpose Language
"Unrestricted support for RFLD's programmes across francophone Africa, including the West African Francophone Feminist Fund (WAFFF), the Africa Portfolio Grant, and ongoing work on SRHR, civic space, climate justice, and ending gender-based violence."

This information is current as of April 2026. For the latest version, visit rflgd.org/give-through-your-daf.

Quick Explainer

What does "NGOsource Equivalency Determination" mean?

NGOsource is a programme of TechSoup and the Council on Foundations. Since 2013, it has provided Equivalency Determination (ED) services that vet non-US charities against US IRS standards for 501(c)(3) public charity equivalence. An ED certificate confirms that a non-US organisation meets those standards and is safe for US private foundations and DAFs to fund as if it were a domestic public charity.

The US IRS doesn't grant 501(c)(3) status to non-US organisations. NGOsource ED is the recognised workaround: a rigorous, repeatable verification that satisfies the IRS's "equivalency" test. In 2025, RFLD was certified after full review of our governance, financial controls, operations, and public-benefit activities.

What this unlocks — in plain English

  • US private foundations can grant to RFLD directly — no "expenditure responsibility" requirement, no fiscal sponsorship.
  • DAF sponsors (Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, ImpactAssets, community foundations) can process donor recommendations to RFLD as a standard domestic charity grant.
  • Individual US donors — including the African diaspora — can give directly and claim the standard charitable deduction (via a DAF, or by contributing a qualifying fiscal-sponsor path; most donors now route via their DAF).
  • Workplace giving and employer matching via Benevity, Bright Funds, and similar platforms become eligible for RFLD.
Institutional Trust

Vetted by the funders who know the field.

Your DAF grant joins institutional funding from foundations that conduct rigorous due diligence before making any grant. RFLD's current institutional donors include:

Foundation for a Just Society

US-based feminist funder; multi-year support to RFLD's feminist movement work.

Packard Foundation

David & Lucile Packard Foundation; SRHR and Ouagadougou Partnership funder.

Additional institutional partners include GIZ/BMZ SEA-T, Sida, AmplifyChange, FJS, and Expertise France.

Where Your Gift Goes

What a DAF grant to RFLD actually delivers.

RFLD moved $1.77M through its programmes in 2025, with 85% reaching field activities. The WAFFF Fund re-granted €250,000 to 10 francophone feminist organisations the same year. Here is the range of what a single DAF grant can unlock.

$2,500
Rapid Response

Emergency legal support or safe relocation for a single Women Human Rights Defender under threat in francophone West Africa.

$10,000
Full Grant Cycle

One full Upendo grant through the Africa Portfolio Grant programme — funding a grassroots feminist collective for 6 months of protection, advocacy, or organising work.

$25,000
Capacity Building

A full Agojie institutional-strengthening grant — audit readiness, digital security, PSEA systems, and internal governance for one grassroots feminist organisation for a full year.

$50K +
Movement Building

Scales our own field capacity, extends WAFFF Fund re-granting to additional grassroots partners, or seeds multi-year advocacy on SRHR, civic space, or climate justice.

Unrestricted grants enable RFLD to allocate where the need is most acute in the moment. Restricted grants can be directed to specific programmes (WAFFF, BRAVE, PAWELE, or Africa Portfolio Grant) with a named purpose on the recommendation.

Frequently Asked

Donor questions, answered plainly.

Do I get a tax deduction for this grant?
Your tax deduction is tied to when you contributed to your DAF, not when you recommend grants from it. That contribution was deductible in the year you made it. Grants recommended out of the DAF — including to RFLD — don't generate additional deductions, but they also don't have any tax consequences for you. That's the DAF model working as designed.
My DAF sponsor says RFLD isn't in their system. What do I do?
New international charity additions typically take 2–5 business days at any US DAF sponsor. Two paths:

Path A. Call your DAF sponsor's donor services line and ask them to add RFLD via NGOsource. Reference our current Equivalency Determination (ED certificate is on file at ngosource.org).

Path B. Email us at partnerships@rflgd.org. We'll send our ED certificate, address lookup, and governance snapshot directly to your DAF sponsor's compliance team to accelerate verification.
Can I make a recurring grant from my DAF to RFLD?
Yes, at every major DAF sponsor. Recurring recommendations (monthly, quarterly, or annual) are set up through the sponsor's portal in the same grant-recommendation flow. Multi-year and recurring grants are especially valuable for RFLD because they support long-horizon programme planning.
Can I remain anonymous?
Yes. At the grant-recommendation stage, your DAF sponsor will ask whether to share your name, contact, or neither. "Anonymous" is fully supported. The grant still arrives with the same tax treatment and we still apply the funds with the same care — we just won't know who to thank. If you'd like to be acknowledged privately but not publicly, that's also supported at most sponsors.
I'd like to direct my grant to a specific programme. Is that possible?
Yes. In the grant-purpose field, name the programme you want to support. Our main programmes are:
  • BRAVE — SRHR / sexual and reproductive health advocacy
  • PAWELE — Women's political leadership
  • WAFFF Fund — Re-granting in francophone West Africa
  • Africa Portfolio Grant — Five pan-African grant products (Upendo, Agojie, Sisonke, Alafia, Dada)
  • Climate & Gender — Climate justice, gender-responsive budgeting
  • Ending FGM / Child Marriage

Unrestricted gifts offer the most flexibility — they allow us to allocate to the most pressing need in the moment.

What if my DAF sponsor doesn't support international grants?
This is less common than donors expect. Every major US DAF sponsor — Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, ImpactAssets, the large community foundations — supports international grants via NGOsource equivalency. If you hold your DAF at a sponsor that genuinely doesn't support international grants, the alternative routes are: granting via CAF America or KBFUS (which specialise in US-to-international giving), or giving directly to RFLD outside the DAF structure. Email us and we'll help route.
I'm part of the African diaspora — is this the right path for me?
Yes, and we're glad you asked. For diaspora donors giving at meaningful scale, a DAF is often the most efficient structure: you contribute a lump sum once (deductible in that tax year), then recommend grants to RFLD and other African causes over time. If you don't yet have a DAF, the simpler route is a direct gift via our website — but if you're considering giving at $5,000+ annually or you want to support multiple African organisations across years, a DAF at Fidelity or Schwab is worth exploring.
How will I know the grant arrived?
Your DAF sponsor will notify you when the grant is processed. If you elected to share your contact information, we will send you an acknowledgment from RFLD within 14 business days of receiving the funds. For donors who elect anonymity, we maintain an internal tracker and share aggregate impact updates through our annual report and newsletter — both accessible at rflgd.org.
Questions?

We'll help your DAF sponsor
verify us in hours, not days.

If your DAF sponsor needs additional verification — ED certificate, governance documents, audit history, or anything else — we can send it directly to their compliance team within one business day.

partnerships@rflgd.org Full Contact Page

Responses within 1 business day. For DAF compliance queries, please reference "DAF ED verification" in your subject line.

NGOsource ED · Since 2025 ACHPR Observer Status FJS · Packard Grantee $1.77M Audited 2025
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