MakeWay Foundation
Open to any Canadian donor.
National public foundation for environmental and social-justice philanthropy (formerly Tides Canada, rebranded June 2020). Every fund's overhead includes integrated philanthropic advisory services — unusual among Canadian DAF providers — and investments are 100% fossil-fuel-free. Launched Canada's first 100% customizable impact-invested DAF (ImpactDAF) in 2019. New funds must align with one of seven organizational priority areas, including Indigenous authority, healthy lands and waters, climate action, and equity-focused philanthropy.
Cost calculator
Estimate fees for your scenario. Grants are never reduced by fees — fees apply after each year's granting.
See year-by-year breakdown
| Year | Contribution | Growth | Granted | Fees | End balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | $5,000 | $5,250 | $1,746 | $98,004 |
| 2 | $10,000 | $5,400 | $5,670 | $1,885 | $105,849 |
| 3 | $10,000 | $5,792 | $6,082 | $2,022 | $113,537 |
| 4 | $10,000 | $6,177 | $6,486 | $2,156 | $121,072 |
| 5 | $10,000 | $6,554 | $6,881 | $2,288 | $128,456 |
| 6 | $10,000 | $6,923 | $7,269 | $2,417 | $135,693 |
| 7 | $10,000 | $7,285 | $7,649 | $2,543 | $142,786 |
| 8 | $10,000 | $7,639 | $8,021 | $2,667 | $149,736 |
| 9 | $10,000 | $7,987 | $8,386 | $2,788 | $156,549 |
| 10 | $10,000 | $8,327 | $8,744 | $2,907 | $163,225 |
Minimums
Three fund types with different minimums. Giving Fund opens at $5K but uses a contribution-fee model. Invested Giving Fund opens at $25K with the tiered annual schedule below — this is the primary comparable to other DAFs. Impact Fund requires $1M minimum.
Granting rules
Grants must align with MakeWay's seven organizational priority areas: Indigenous authority; healthy lands and waters; climate action; shared wealth; equity-focused philanthropy; Indigenous food systems; bold inclusive leadership. Values-aligned restrictions include no religious recruitment funding.
Assets accepted
- Cash
- Public securities
Scale & activity
From T3010 CRA filing · FYE 2025-03-31
- Total DAF assets
- $49.2M
- Annual grants
- $9.5M
- Actual payout
- 19.3%
- DAF accounts
- 139
- Avg. account
- $353,628
CRA registration 868947797RR0001. Payout rate is actual grants divided by total assets over the filing period — a real-world indicator that can differ from the provider's stated disbursement policy.
Fee structure
Admin fee tiers
| Balance range | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0K – $500K· Invested Giving Fund admin fee, prorated monthly | 1.75% |
| $500K – $2.5M | 1.00% |
| $2.5M – $5M | 0.50% |
| $5M+· Tier above $5M not publicly disclosed; likely negotiable | — |
Investment fee tiers
| Balance range | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0K+· Investment management fees apply separately and are not publicly disclosed | — |
Admin rates reflect the Invested Giving Fund, MakeWay's primary comparable DAF structure. The Giving Fund uses a contribution-fee model instead (6% on contributions under $1,000; 1.75% on contributions of $1,000+), charged once per contribution — unusual and not directly comparable to an annual balance fee. The Impact Fund charges 1.75% annually plus investment management fees, with a $1M minimum. Impact Fund investment strategy is managed by Genus-SVX Impact Investment Counsel.
Data sources
Confidence: Published on provider site · Last verified 2026-04-21
Value proposition authored by WellFunded