Judith Fiander
Australian Philanthropic Services (APS) clients distributed $250 million to 2,261 charities in the 2026 financial year, setting a new annual giving record for the organisation.
The milestone means APS clients have now distributed more than $1.5 billion to charity since it was founded in 2012. An estimated $3.1 billion is currently committed to charity through giving structures supported by APS.
APS analysis of the latest Australian Taxation Office data shows structured giving vehicles are carrying a growing share of the nation’s philanthropy, even as overall tax-deductible giving has remained relatively flat. Private ancillary funds (PAFs) alone distributed more than $914 million to charities in 2023-24, up 14 per cent year-on-year, and now account for 22 per cent of all tax-deductible gifts received by charities.
“This is the highest annual year of giving we’ve seen since APS was founded,” Judith Fiander, CEO at APS, says.
“More Australians are choosing to formalise their giving through structures like private ancillary funds and giving funds, not just for the tax efficiency, but because they want a long-term plan behind their generosity.”
Despite this, fewer than half of the 28,000 Australians earning more than $1 million a year make a tax-deductible donation at all, pointing to a significant gap between the capacity to give and actual giving.
“The ATO figures tell us there’s still a substantial pool of capacity to give that hasn’t found its way into structured philanthropy yet, and that’s where we see the next phase of growth coming from,” Fiander says.
APS welcomed 187 new clients during FY2026, up 26 per cent from 149 the previous year, taking its total client base to 1,247. Clients made 8,254 individual gifts to charity during the year, up from 7,279 in FY2025.
The APS Foundation had a strong year, with giving fund holders lifting distributions by 30 per cent to $36 million, with a median gift of $3,000. The Foundation’s total balance grew 18 per cent to $512 million across its 845 giving funds, reinforcing its position as the largest, fastest-growing and most generous public ancillary fund among its peers. The growth reflects a focus on long-term stewardship as Australia moves through an estimated $5.4 trillion intergenerational wealth transfer.
“APS is built to support giving over decades, not just financial years,” Fiander says.
“The scale of the wealth transfer underway in Australia means advisers and accountants have a genuine opportunity to bring philanthropy into conversations with clients earlier, particularly around capital gains events. The growth we’re reporting today shows what’s possible when that conversation happens.”
The APS Foundation’s General Portfolio returned 7 per cent after fees in the year to 31 December 2025, with a seven-year annualised return of 8.7 per cent and a since-inception return of 10.1 per cent. Its Focused Portfolio returned 4.4 per cent over the same one-year period and 6.8 per cent per annum since its 2022 inception.