Charitable-Giving Plan Divides Nonprofit Groups and Worries Donors

Neil Kawashima, a lawyer in Chicago who advises wealthy donors, said people who are considering types of giving that offer one-time, upfront charitable deductions on their federal taxes may especially be tempted to consider acting before the deduction rate falls.

Those would include donor-advised funds, which allow people to make contributions to special accounts, claim a deduction, and then recommend how to distribute the money to charity; and “grantor charitable lead annuity trusts,” which allow donors to set up a trust to give annual payments to charities, claim a tax deduction, and then pay taxes on the income produced by the trust.