A list of prohibited payments to donors and advisers to donor-advised fund.

New rules about what grants can be made from donor-advised funds.

The documentation required for all contributions to donor-advised funds.

Some critics go so far as to question whether the financial institutions' donor-advised funds should be considered public charities.

Gifts from the donor-advised funds are usually more restricted than that.

And just last week, American Express announced that it, too, would begin offering donor-advised funds.

It became one of the largest donor-advised funds in the country.

Proposals that would require more disclosure of donor-advised funds have been contentious.

For example, donor-advised funds and supporting organizations are not eligible recipients.

An adviser might also help a client decide among three popular financial instruments: the family foundation, the donor-advised fund and the supporting organization.