AIN Charitable Capital Pathway
A pay-it-forward model for AIN membership using charitable capital to invest in Kingdom-minded companies and funds.
Many AIN members deploy charitable capital into faith-driven private companies through a Christian donor-advised fund. The Charitable Capital Pathway is a coordinated way for those members to support their fellow AIN members through the same charitable channel, so a single relationship covers both membership and charitable investing activity.
The Building Blocks
If any of the pieces are unfamiliar, click any underlined term to expand a plain-English explanation.
Ambassadors Impact Network
AIN is a 501(c)(6) community of accredited investors who want to align their investing with their faith. We educate members on investing in private companies from a biblical perspective, convene quarterly meetings and gatherings, and organize collaborative diligence so members benefit from one another's pattern recognition and expertise. We also source deal flow, vet companies through a rigorous two-gate process, and engage entrepreneurs after investment.
Importantly, AIN does not pool capital or invest on your behalf. Each member decides which deals to participate in and writes their own check, directly to the company or fund. AIN's role is to equip you, not to invest for you.
Christian DAF Sponsors That Allow Investing
Most AIN members use a Christian DAF sponsor that allows charitable dollars to be deployed as investments into Kingdom-minded companies and funds. The most common are Impact Foundation, National Christian Foundation, and The Signatry. Any of these (or another DAF sponsor that permits impact investing) can be pathways for investing in AIN companies.
Note one important detail: while you can choose any Christian DAF sponsor for your investments, AIN membership dues themselves flow through Impact Foundation, where AIN maintains a dedicated Project Account for this purpose. More on that below.
The AIN Project Account at Impact Foundation
The AIN Project Account is a dedicated account at Impact Foundation. A donor seeded the account with a contribution to support potential members who want to invest via charitable means. The account is replenished by donations of members who join the pay-it-forward Charitable Capital Pathway.
How the Pathway Works
You apply to AIN.
Visit with an AIN director, then complete the AIN application (indicating that you'd like to join via the Charitable Capital Pathway). Affirm AIN's statement of faith and the Pathway affirmation (below). Unanimous director approval is required.
Upon acceptance, you are activated as a full AIN member.
You gain immediate access to deal flow, collaborative diligence, quarterly meetings, and the AIN community. Pathway members have identical rights and access as every other AIN member.
Your dues are paid from the AIN Project Account.
AIN adds your dues to the next monthly invoice to Impact Foundation, and IF pays from the Project Account. Nothing for you to wire, no separate bill.
You're encouraged to support the Project Account.
Pathway members are invited (not required) to make a tax-deductible charitable contribution to Impact Foundation designated to the AIN Project Account. Suggested amounts mirror dues levels. This sustains the pool for future members.
Direct Pay or Pathway: Same Membership
Whichever way you fund your dues, you're a full AIN member with identical access, rights, and responsibilities. The Pathway is one option, not a different tier.
The Charitable Capital Lifecycle
If you choose to invest in an AIN-sourced opportunity through a Christian DAF, here is what happens to those charitable dollars over their lifetime.
You contribute charitably to your Christian DAF sponsor
You receive a tax deduction. The dollars enter your DAF account and are now charitable capital.
You recommend an investment in an AIN-sourced deal
Your DAF deploys the funds into a Kingdom-minded company or fund on your recommendation.
Returns flow back into your DAF account
Distributions, dividends, or exit proceeds return to your DAF balance, still in charitable form.
You redeploy or grant the returns
You can reinvest into additional AIN deals, grant to other charities, or hold for future use. The dollars remain charitable.
How to Contribute to the AIN Project Account at Impact Foundation
If you have decided to support the AIN Project Account, Impact Foundation accepts contributions by wire or ACH, check, grants from an existing donor-advised fund, and gifts of public stock.
Designate your gift to the AIN Project Account
Here are instructions to make a donation to the AIN Project Account so you can support the next AIN member to join through this pathway.
Whichever method you choose, please indicate your name and "AIN Project Account" in the memo/comments. This ensures the funds are credited to the right account.
Questions You May Have
No. AIN educates, convenes, and facilitates collaborative diligence. Each member decides which deals to participate in and invests directly into the company or fund. AIN doesn't pool capital, doesn't take carry, and doesn't make investment decisions for you.
You may choose to make those investments through Impact Foundation, NCF, The Signatry, another DAF sponsor, personal capital, a family LLC, or any other vehicle that fits your situation. The choice is always yours.
No. Pathway members are full AIN members with identical rights, access, and responsibilities. You will participate on a committee, attend quarterly meetings, see all deal flow, and engage with the community just like every other member. The Pathway describes how your dues are funded, not a different tier of membership.
No. AIN dues themselves flow through Impact Foundation, where the Project Account lives, but you can make your individual deal investments through any Christian DAF sponsor that permits impact investing, including National Christian Foundation, The Signatry, or another sponsor of your choosing.
That said, Impact Foundation was purpose-built to support charitable investments into for-profit Kingdom-minded companies and funds, which is the exact function most AIN deal investments require. For that reason, most AIN members who deploy charitable capital into AIN-sourced deals do so through Impact Foundation. It's the path of least friction, but not a requirement.
These are two different accounts at Impact Foundation, each with a different purpose. They should not be confused.
The AIN Project Account is held by AIN at Impact Foundation. It funds AIN membership dues for Pathway members. You may contribute to it (see the contribution methods above), but you do not have an AIN Project Account of your own. Sharon Bremner at Impact Foundation is the contact for this account.
Your Impact Account is a personal donor-advised fund that you would open only if and when you decide to deploy your own charitable capital into an AIN-sourced deal through Impact Foundation. It holds your charitable capital and supports your investments. Joining AIN via the Pathway does not require you to open an Impact Account; you only open one when you are ready to invest through IF. Ben Nussbaum at Impact Foundation is the relationship contact for opening and managing your Impact Account.
Returns flow back into your DAF account. Those dollars remain charitable. You can redeploy them into additional Kingdom-minded investments, grant them to other charities, or hold them for future deployment, but they cannot return to your personal account.
This is how DAFs work generally. The trade-off is that you received a charitable deduction at the time of contribution, and the dollars then serve charitable purposes for the rest of their life.
Yes. Impact Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity, and contributions to the AIN Project Account are charitable contributions to IF. IF will issue the appropriate receipt. We encourage you to confirm specifics with your tax advisor.
You are welcome to. The Pathway is one option, not the only option. Direct-pay members go through the same application process and receive identical membership at the same annual rate.
Suggested grant amounts mirror AIN dues levels: $3,250 for individual memberships, $5,500 for entity memberships (with $250 per additional member). These are guidance, not requirements. You may give more, give less, give in installments, or give to other parts of Impact Foundation's mission.
Six things:
- Educate. We help members invest in private companies from a biblical perspective.
- Convene. Quarterly meetings, the AIN Summit, and committee work bring members together for fellowship and shared work.
- Facilitate collaborative diligence. Members share their pattern recognition and expertise on each deal.
- Vet and filter. Approximately 7% of deals we see pass our initial screen.
- Connect. We introduce members to thought leaders, peers, and aligned funds.
- Engage and monitor. We track financial returns and spiritual impact for each investment and stay engaged with entrepreneurs.
The Pathway exists because the relationships are already there. Since 2018, roughly 26% of all capital deployed by AIN members has flowed through Impact Foundation. The Pathway formalizes what many of our members were already doing informally.
Any questions?
If the Charitable Capital Pathway fits how you steward your capital, we would love a conversation. There is no application pressure and no obligation; just a chance to see whether AIN is the right community for this season of your investing.