Fidelity^® Charitable Gift Fund Reports 2009 Incoming Contributions Up from 2008

Both Outgoing Grants and Incoming Contributions Top $1 Billion

BOSTON, January 11, 2010 — The Fidelity^® Charitable Gift Fund ("Gift Fund") today reported a rise in incoming contributions in 2009 from 2008. Its donors contributed more than $1.1 billion in 2009 to their Giving Accounts^®, up from $1.05 billion in 2008.

In addition, for the third year in a row and in the midst of extremely challenging economic times, the Gift Fund's donors recommended more than $1 billion in grants to charities. In total, donors to the Gift Fund — which has the nation's largest donor-advised fund program and is the third largest public charity¹ — supported more than 60,000 nonprofit organizations last year by recommending more than 298,000 grants, a 1.8% increase from 2008.

"Despite the economic uncertainty of 2009, our donors maintained their commitment to help the nation's nonprofit organizations at a time when that help was desperately needed," said Sarah C. Libbey, president of the Gift Fund. "While such grants reflect the generosity of Gift Fund donors, it also demonstrates the value of donor-advised funds as helpful long-term giving vehicles that ensure charitable dollars are available in good times and bad."

"We are optimistic as we begin the new year," Libbey said. "Throughout 2009, we saw giving gain momentum and peak during December, one of our strongest giving seasons yet. With the economy showing signs of improvement and the markets recovering, we hope to help more donors in the coming year fulfill their giving plans."

The rebound in major market indices in 2009 resulted in an increase in contributions of appreciated securities as donors looked for ways to meet their philanthropic goals as well as take advantage of tax deductions. Contributions in the form of appreciated securities represented 43% of the Gift Fund's total contributions in 2009 with the majority of that total being contributed during the last three months of the year.

Historically, the Gift Fund receives 57% of its total contributions during the fourth quarter, with most of that arriving in December. Last year was no exception with 64% of contributions coming in during the fourth quarter and approximately 50% being contributed in December.

In November, the Gift Fund became the first charity with a national donor-advised fund program to offer an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) capability which allows donors to add to their Giving Accounts more easily. As a result, more than $15 million came to the Gift Fund via 1,095 EFT transactions.

Key Highlights of 2009

Accessibility was a key theme for the Gift Fund in 2009. Highlights included:

• The Gift Fund permanently lowered its minimum grant amount to $50 from $100. This move was designed to encourage donors to broaden their charitable support and consider causes that they had not supported before.
• The Gift Fund lowered the minimum Giving Account balance requirement for its Charitable Investment Advisor Program (CIAP) to $250,000 from $1 million. CIAP enables Gift Fund donors who meet the minimum balance requirement to nominate an independent investment advisor to develop and implement customized investment strategies for the donors' Giving Account balances at the Gift Fund. Lowering the minimum opened CIAP to more donors.
• The Gift Fund eliminated the requirement that donors with existing accounts contribute a minimum of $1,000 when adding to their Giving Accounts throughout the year. Donors can now contribute any amount.

About the Fidelity^® Charitable Gift Fund

The Fidelity^® Charitable Gift Fund was established by Fidelity Investments^® in 1991. The mission of the Gift Fund is to further the American tradition of philanthropy by providing programs that make charitable giving simple and effective. Since its inception, the Gift Fund has helped more than 56,000 donors recommend more than $9.5 billion in grants to over 130,000 nonprofit organizations, with the Giving Account^®, its donor-advised fund program.