At the San Antonio Area Foundation, we are honored to work with women across multiple generations. A shining example is the pioneering work of the women behind the Smart Start Fund. On our grantmaking side, we’re proud of the work of our Women & Girls Development Fund and nonprofit partners such as Girls Inc of San Antonio, Girls on the Run Bexar County and YWCA San Antonio.

Women’s growing control over wealth is fueling transformative potential to reshape philanthropy. According to research-based analysis published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, over the next decade, trillions of dollars will transfer to women through inheritance, earnings and outliving male partners in heterosexual couples. 

What’s more, research from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, including Women Give 2024: 20 Years of Gender & Giving Trends, supports what many are seeing firsthand: women are increasingly leading charitable decisions within their families.

Sometimes this shift happens gradually — a daughter becomes more involved in conversations about family giving, or a spouse who once deferred decisions begins shaping philanthropic priorities more directly. In other cases, the transition is sudden and deeply personal, such as after the death of a spouse or parent, when a woman assumes sole responsibility for stewarding both financial assets and charitable intent.

You’re likely familiar with high-profile examples such as MacKenzie Scott and Melinda Gates. But the trend is much more widespread than just a couple of big names. Indeed, women often give more generously, more broadly and more collaboratively than men. Notably, the ways women approach philanthropy differ significantly from men’s, especially with respect to motivations such as empathy, personal priorities and firsthand involvement.  

As women step more fully into philanthropic leadership, thoughtful planning can help ensure that their giving remains impactful and sustainable. Here are three ways the Area Foundation often partners with women and families to implement philanthropic intentions:

Creating a family philanthropy vehicle
A DAF at the Area Foundation can provide a flexible structure for collaborative giving. Many women choose to involve children or grandchildren as co-advisors, turning grantmaking into an opportunity to share values and learn together about community needs. These funds can be established with tax-efficient assets — such as appreciated stock or other complex assets — helping maximize both impact and stewardship.

Focusing on a cause for the long term
For donors who feel called to support a particular issue — education, healthcare, the arts, emergency assistance or another area of personal significance — a field-of-interest fund can provide both focus and flexibility. For donors age 70 ½ or older, Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) to certain types of funds at the Area Foundation (excluding DAFs) from an IRA may offer an efficient way to support charitable priorities during life. Furthermore, naming a DAF as an IRA beneficiary can extend that support well beyond the donor’s lifetime.

Strengthening a favorite organization
Some women dedicate years of service to a specific nonprofit. In these cases, strategic planning can ensure that commitment endures. Grants can address immediate needs such as staffing or infrastructure, while a designated fund (an eligible recipient of a QCD) can provide dependable annual support for generations to come.

Women’s philanthropy continues to shape our communities in profound ways. Whether leadership transitions happen gradually or through life-changing events, the opportunity to align generosity with long-term purpose is powerful. 

As always, the Area Foundation is here for women and here for everyone. It is our honor to support your philanthropy — helping ensure it reflects both enduring legacy and evolving purpose. Reach out to us with any questions about the many options we offer to give back to the community!

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They know they want to have an impact, align their generosity with their values, and perhaps even involve their families — but they are often unsure where to begin.

The combination of busy lives, changing tax laws and an ever-growing number of worthy causes can make getting started feel overwhelming. The good news is that taking a few simple, thoughtful actions at the beginning of the year can bring clarity and confidence to your giving. 

Here are three first steps to inspire you:

Consider reviewing your 2025 charitable contributions with our team at the San Antonio Area Foundation.

Looking back at last year’s giving can be surprisingly helpful, especially when guided by professionals who understand both philanthropy and the local community. The Area Foundation can help you see the real-world impact of your gifts, identify patterns in your giving and highlight opportunities you may not have considered.

This review also creates a natural bridge to planning your 2026 support, whether that means refining your focus, adjusting gift amounts, or exploring new charitable vehicles. Just as important, it allows you to begin thinking strategically about future years, helping ensure that your generosity grows in a way that is both meaningful and sustainable.

Talk with your tax advisors as soon as possible about whether and how new tax laws might impact your situation. 

Charitable giving is closely connected to tax and estate planning, and early conversations can help you make informed decisions before the year gets too far along.

This is also an ideal time to revisit your estate plan and beneficiary designations. Many donors choose to include a gift to their donor-advised (DAF) or other type of fund at the Area Foundation in their wills, trusts, or beneficiary designations on retirement accounts or life insurance policies, creating a lasting legacy that reflects their values.

 Coordinating these updates with your tax advisor and the Area Foundation can ensure your charitable intentions are clearly documented, tax-efficient, and aligned with your overall financial and estate planning goals.

Set goals for your charitable involvement in 2026. 

Rather than giving reactively, goal setting allows you to be proactive and intentional about how you engage with the causes you care about.

The Area Foundation can help you explore new and emerging charities, learn more about pressing needs in the community and connect with organizations that align with your interests.

Together, you and our team can create a plan for timing gifts throughout the year, whether through recurring contributions, single large gifts early in the year to help a favorite charity leap ahead or strategic gifts of highly appreciated or complex assets. This approach not only makes giving more manageable but also helps ensure your generosity has the greatest possible impact.

As you look ahead, remember that you do not have to navigate charitable planning on your own. The Area Foundation is here to serve as your most trusted and impactful partner — whether you are just getting started, refining an existing plan, or thinking about the legacy you want to leave for future generations.

We invite you to reach out anytime to ask questions, explore ideas, or take the next step in your giving journey. We are honored to help you turn your charitable intentions into your legacy.

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That spirit has inspired “Gifts that Give Back,” San Antonio Area Foundation’s inaugural Holiday Giving Guide, launching in print and online in late November. The curated collection of 28 nonprofits, each selected for their promising missions and measurable community impact, invites donors to help each featured organization unlock an additional $3,000 in support this year. Together, these gifts will multiply generosity across Bexar and surrounding counties into 2026 and beyond. 

As we celebrate National Community Foundation Week (Nov. 12–18) and National Philanthropy Day (Nov. 15), we honor the generosity that makes San Antonio stronger.  

“The guide reflects what community foundations do best: connecting people who care with the causes that matter most,” says Nadege Souvenir, CEO of the Area Foundation. “Every page of ‘Gifts that Give Back’ offers a chance to see hope in action this season, and to be part of the good that’s happening all around us.” 

Organized across four impact areas — Cultural Vibrancy, Livable and Resilient Communities, Successful Aging, and Youth Success — the guide also includes opportunities to give directly to student scholarships, local journalism and impact funds. These options allow donors to support the areas of greatest need or to spark change in areas closest to their hearts. 

“We wanted to make giving both easy and meaningful,” says Lisa Brunsvold, the Area Foundation’s Chief Development Officer. “Whether you’re recommending a grant through your donor-advised fund or making a direct gift, this guide helps every donor see where their dollars can do the most good.” 

For the promising nonprofits featured in 2025’s guide, the visibility is transformational. “Community giving during the holidays helps us to do more for those in need,” says Vinsen Faris, Chief Executive Officer for Meals on Wheels San Antonio. “Meals on Wheels being featured alongside other great members of the nonprofit community is a win for all of us, as it highlights the urgent and important work we all do to make our community better.” 

Follow the  Area Foundation on social media to be among the first to explore Gifts that Give Back this holiday season! 

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

One community … 28 nonprofits … $3,000 each … and countless stories of hope that you help make possible. Join in the season of giving! 

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Whether increased community needs are triggered by a government shutdown that disrupts paychecks, services and community programs, a natural disaster, or economic factors, the San Antonio Area Foundation is committed to helping you structure charitable giving plans that make a real difference in the lives of people in our region.

Here are some examples of how our team can help:

Real-time identification of needs. Our team at the Area Foundation has its finger on the pulse of which organizations are helping families in crisis. As federal employees and contractors grapple with missing income, and federal benefits become uncertain for families in need, charities in our community can be stretched thin attempting to meet the rising demand for food, rent, and utility assistance. The Area Foundation has the expertise as to where dollars are most needed and how those dollars translate into immediate impact.

Offering fast and flexible charitable solutions. If you have already established a donor-advised fund (DAF) with us, or if you are considering doing so, you can use it to provide support to charities on the front lines of emergency assistance in our community. The Area Foundation makes it fast and easy for grants to flow out of DAFs to qualified and vetted organizations that are doing the work on the ground.

Leverage important timing. The urgency of community needs in late 2025 coincides with an important window of opportunity for people who itemize their income tax deductions. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), limits on charitable deductions will tighten beginning in 2026. That means it may be advantageous to certain donors to “front-load” or “bunch” contributions — such as by giving more this year through establishing or adding to a DAF — to maximize both tax benefits and impact.

Plan for the future. Unfortunately, community crises are not unusual. The Area Foundation works with you and other donors and fund holders to strengthen our community’s ability to respond to urgent needs, regardless of when and why they occur. For this reason, many donors not only give to their favorite charities through DAFs, but they also use these funds to give to the Area Foundation’s dedicated response funds to ensure that dollars are in place to support people in need the moment the next crisis hits.

At the Area Foundation, we encourage you to reach out anytime. At this moment, though, when urgent needs and tax opportunities are occurring simultaneously, we encourage you to reach out as soon as possible. It is our honor to work with you and your fellow donors who care so deeply about our community.

The post Year-End Dynamics: Tax Law Changes Amid Timely Community Needs  appeared first on San Antonio Area Foundation.

Charitable giving to education rose in 2024 to more than $58 billion. If education and related causes are important to you, the San Antonio Area Foundation can help you explore a variety of meaningful ways to make an impact. Here are three ideas to inspire a deeper discussion:

Explore options for expanding student support

In many cases, donors set up a scholarship or other type of fund to support a particular educational institution and then set it on autopilot. There’s nothing wrong with this approach, but you might miss an opportunity to make a deeper impact. The Area Foundation team is happy to facilitate a dialogue with you and the school to structure your funding – whether through a scholarship or other types of support – to fill gaps in student need. For example, if you’d like to support students pursuing a college degree beyond simply scholarship dollars, the Area Foundation can help identify needs for dollars to increase faculty salaries, purchase lab equipment, or pay an on-campus counselor to help students acclimate to college life. 

Investigate opportunities to improve the quality of education

Many donors are concerned that high school graduates are ill-prepared for post-secondary education, whether that’s a traditional four-year college, community college, or trade school. The Area Foundation can help you address this gap with your charitable dollars. For example, you could establish a fund to support teachers, which in turn helps improve student success. Indeed, teachers are often considered the single most important in-school factor for student success. Charitable funding that enhances teacher training, mentorship, and ongoing professional development creates ripple effects across classrooms and generations of students.

Find your education “niche”

By establishing a field-of-interest fund at the Area Foundation, you can identify specific parameters within education that you’d like to fund. For example, you could be interested in supporting local grassroots programs offering tutoring and mentorship. Or, you may decide to direct your charitable dollars to quality early childhood programs, which have been shown to yield high returns on investments in education. The Area Foundation can help you identify an area of focus. Going forward, our team leverages deep knowledge and research to identify high-impact opportunities, helping to ensure your generosity makes the greatest difference within your area of interest.

Please reach out to our team anytime! As students head back to school and education is top of mind, the Area Foundation is here to make sure your giving is impactful, focused, and in line with your philanthropic goals.

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Even if you’ve been retired for several years, you might still be trying to figure things out. Time and again, research shows us that finding purpose is an essential component of a happy and satisfying retirement. Consider the following: 

• A large-scale, longitudinal study used data from 13,770 older adults, finding that those with a higher sense of purpose at baseline were significantly less likely to develop unhealthy behaviors.
• Other research used a nationally representative panel of over 8,000 American adults and determined that, contrary to some beliefs, retirement can actually increase a person’s sense of purpose. 
• A cross-sectional study analyzed data from nearly 2,000 adults and found that sense of purpose was significantly associated with lower depression and anxiety in both retirees and non-retirees. 

Indeed, retirement offers a unique opportunity for people to rediscover their sense of purpose beyond the confines of a traditional career. The San Antonio Area Foundation can play a pivotal role in this journey. Here’s how:

Check in on tax planning

For starters, the Area Foundation’s Development and Donor Services Department can work with you and your tax advisors to be sure your charitable giving is reflected in your estate and financial plan to achieve the impact you’re seeking.

Among other issues, we’ll help you and your advisors explore whether itemizing your tax deductions in certain years might save you money. You can “bunch” charitable donations into your donor-advised fund in higher-income years to exceed the itemization threshold, then support your favorite causes steadily over time from that fund. If you’re 70 ½ or older, we’ll also help evaluate whether tax-free transfers directly from your IRA — up to $108,000 (in 2025) — to a designated, unrestricted, or field-of-interest fund at the Area Foundation would be an effective planning technique for your situation. 

Involve the next generation

Many retirees have more time to include family members in their personal charitable giving activities. The Area Foundation team can work alongside you and your estate planning advisors to name children or grandchildren as advisors or successor advisors to your donor-advised fund and invite them to participate in site visits and educational events. This is a great way to strengthen family bonds while building a legacy of generosity across generations.

Our team can help you identify ways to include children and grandchildren in site visits to favorite charities and participate in education sessions about community needs and the nonprofits that are making a difference for people who live in our region. 

Build a legacy

Many people update their estate plans just after they retire. As you work with your tax and estate planning advisors, consider incorporating a gift in your estate plan that will allow your charitable legacy to live on for generations.

For example, many people name a fund at the Area Foundation as the beneficiary of their IRAs because of the significant tax advantages when compared with leaving the IRAs to heirs. The Area Foundation is happy to work with you and your advisors to establish a special fund to receive assets from your estate, whether from an IRA or other type of estate gift.

The fund can be structured as a permanent endowment to address the community’s greatest needs far into the future or even support the Area Foundation’s operations to ensure that philanthropy and stewardship continue to thrive for generations to come.

You can also name your donor-advised fund as an estate beneficiary, and your children and grandchildren can serve as advisors to the fund so that they, in turn, can carry on the spirit of charitable giving in the family’s name. 

We look forward to working with you throughout your retirement years to ensure that your community dreams are fulfilled through the power of charitable giving. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us to get the conversation started!

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You may have heard about the “Big Beautiful Bill” (H.R. 1), which passed the House of Representatives by a narrow vote last month. The bill now goes to the Senate, where it will likely change before anything is final. For now, nothing is set in stone. We won’t know exactly how it affects charitable giving until the process is complete. 

Our team is here to help you think through your giving plans — whether the bill passes as written or not.

Planning for the Future 

Many people choose to include charitable gifts in their estate plans. This allows them to leave a lasting impact on causes they care about and improve life in our community for future generations. If you’re updating your estate plan, we’re happy to work with you and your advisors to help structure a meaningful gift. 

 A Note About Estate Taxes 

The federal estate tax affects only a small number of people, but when it does apply, it can be significant. The current top rate is 40 percent. If your total assets — including real estate, investments, retirement accounts, business interests, life insurance and personal property — are worth more than $13.99 million (or $27.98 million for married couples), estate taxes could apply to you. 

Right now, a higher estate tax exemption from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is set to expire at the end of this year. However, the proposed bill would make that higher exemption permanent. Still, if you expect your estate might be taxable, including a charitable gift to a fund at the Area Foundation can help reduce that tax burden. 

Changes for Private Foundations 

The bill proposes a big increase in excise taxes on the investment income of large private foundations — jumping from 1.39 percent to as much as 10 percent for the biggest ones. Smaller foundations with under $50 million in assets would not be affected. 

If you’re considering a private foundation, remember the Area Foundation offers other options — like supporting organizations and donor-advised funds (DAFs) — that unlock better tax advantages while remaining simpler, less costly and just as impactful for supporting your favorite causes. 

It’s Not Just About Taxes 

Most people give because they care, not just for tax reasons. Whether or not taxes are a factor for you, the Area Foundation is here to help you make a lasting difference in our community. 

Other Proposed Changes to Know 

The bill would keep the higher standard deduction from the 2017 tax law and temporarily raise it even more through 2028. This means fewer people would itemize their deductions, so fewer would claim a charitable deduction (but remember, most people give for reasons beyond taxes). 

The bill also adds a small charitable deduction for people who don’t itemize: $150 for individuals and $300 for couples. 

What’s Next? 

The Senate is reviewing the bill this month, and it could take until July or August before the House and Senate agree on a final version to send to the president.

If you have any questions or want to talk about how to structure your charitable giving — no matter what happens with tax laws — please reach out. Our team is here to help you support the causes you care about in the most effective way possible. 

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As you consider how to support your favorite charities this year, take a moment to evaluate which assets may be best suited for your donations. In particular, the choice between giving cash or appreciated stock can have a meaningful impact on both your finances and your charities of choice.

Our team at the San Antonio Area Foundation is here to help answer your questions, including a few that are very common this year in particular:

Should I give stock?

If you are concerned about preserving cash right now, then donating appreciated, publicly traded stock can be a highly effective strategy. By transferring long-term, marketable securities directly to a donor-advised or other type of fund at the Area Foundation, you avoid capital gains tax and may be eligible for an income tax deduction based on the fair market value of the securities. The Area Foundation, in turn, can sell the securities without incurring tax, maximizing the dollars available to support your favorite charities. Even in a down market, many investors still hold stocks that have appreciated over time, making this a win-win for both you and the causes you care about.

Should I give cash?

If your investment portfolio has declined significantly across the board, you may prefer to contribute cash this year. Doing so allows your investments time to recover, potentially increasing their value for future charitable gifts. Contributing cash to your fund at the Area Foundation allows you to organize your giving in one place, making it easier to gather tax information when April 15 rolls around again. 

How can my donor-advised fund help in challenging times for our community?

Donor-advised funds offer flexibility for your charitable giving, particularly in unpredictable market conditions. By contributing to a donor-advised fund, you receive an immediate tax deduction and can recommend grants over time, allowing you to support your favorite organizations even when your personal finances are in flux. Many people like having a reserve of charitable funds that enables them to maintain consistent support for the causes they love, regardless of market ups and downs.

What else should I consider as I plan my charitable support this year?

Giving strategically in uncertain times is important to help stabilize the charities in our community and allow them to continue to support people in need. The Area Foundation can help you formalize long-term commitments while also ensuring that immediate needs are addressed. Maintaining support for the organizations you care about ensures their continued impact, even when resources are tight. 

Our Development and Donor Services team is here to help you make a difference in our community as economic pressures mount. Please reach out to discuss the best options to achieve your charitable goals, even in a year as unpredictable as this one.

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