Renaissance Charitable Foundation Donor Advised Fund Setup Steps

Setting up and managing a new donor-advised fund (DAF) through the Renaissance Charitable Foundation (RCF) is quick and easy. Follow the steps below to get started.

Need to know:

  • Ameriprise advisors need to be licensed in the state of Indiana to open a new RCF account at Ameriprise.
  • Renaissance Charitable Foundation (RCF) – is a 501(c)(3) public charity and the DAF sponsor, meaning the assets are owned by RCF.
  • Renaissance (Ren) – Ren is the third-party administrator retained by RCF to administer the DAF programs RCF sponsors.

Creating the DAF 

Direct any questions tied to the steps below to the Ameriprise dedicated RCF Client Services team via phone: (800) 281-4311, or email: [email protected]. 

Utilize our RCF New Account Opening Checklist to better assist with the steps for account opening.

  1. Provide your donor client with the RCF DAF program circular.
  2. Complete the on-line DAF application for your donor client at https://ampf.donorfirstx.com.
    • Upon submission of the online RCF DAF application, you’ll be prompted to print a copy of the application and obtain a donor signature. This can be wet-signed or digitally signed.
    • Return the signed RCF DAF application to the RCF Client Services Team via email, [email protected].
  3. Once you have opened the RCF DAF for your donor client, the next step is to open a new Ameriprise investment account in the name of Renaissance Charitable Foundation Inc. non-profit with an approved Ameriprise advisory solution.
      • For questions on how to complete the investment account set up, please reference AdvisorCompass and search for “Donor-Advised Funds Reference”.

Next Steps

  1. The Advisor works with their donor client to fund the newly created Ameriprise investment account for RCF.
  2. When the RCF investment account has been funded, the Advisor must send via ‘Send Secure’ email a screenshot confirmation of funding to [email protected]. This should include the following:
      1. Full Ameriprise Investment account number
      2. Donor or DAF account name
      3. Date of initial contribution
      4. Details of the initial contribution (cash/securities, etc.)
      5. Current balance of the investment account

  3. Ren credits the contribution to the account and moves the account into a grant-ready status, which allows the donor to submit grants to charities.
  4. Log-in credentials for the RCF on-line portal are e-mailed from “[email protected]” to the donor(s) when the account is established. Ensure your client is aware they will receive an email.


Donors access their RCF DAF account at https://ampf.donorfirstx.com.

Instructions for navigating the RCF donor portal platform can be found here. The process is complete!

Important Notes

  1. RCF is the owner of the Ameriprise investment account for all intents and purposes.
  2. The Ameriprise operations team performs a monthly process to add the name of the donor to the Ameriprise account. Example:
    • Renaissance Charitable Foundation, Inc.
    • Donor Al & Alice Anderson
  3. Donors obtain their RCF DAF Balance and submit grants via their RCF on-line portal.  RCF sends quarterly statements to the donor.  The RCF DAF account does not appear on the donor’s Ameriprise statement. 
  4. Ameriprise sends a nightly data feed to Ren to update donor account balances reflected in the RCF on-line portal.
  5. Click here for frequently asked questions of RCF DAFs.
  6. Ameriprise advisors conduct the managed account annual review with Renaissance Charitable Foundation.  Contact the Ameriprise dedicated RCF Client Services team via phone: (800) 281-4311, or email: [email protected] to schedule the review with a Renaissance authorized person.

If you have any questions regarding your fund establishment or there are special steps required for your donated assets, contact us at [email protected] and we will guide you through the process.

For all other questions/concerns regarding the DAF accounts, please contact our RCF Client Services team at [email protected] or 800-281-4311.