VALLEY FORGE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vanguard Charitable, one of the top grantmaking organizations in the country, announced today the upcoming launch of three new environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment options, using index exchange-traded funds (ETFs) opened earlier this year by The Vanguard Group, Inc. Beginning October 4, 2018, Vanguard Charitable donors will be able to recommend investment of charitable assets into:

• ESG U.S. Stock
• ESG International Stock
• ESG Global Stock, a proprietary 70/30 blend of U.S. and international

Per Vanguard, which launched the ESG ETFs earlier this year and opened them to investors mid-September, Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF and Vanguard ESG International ETF will seek to track two broad-based FTSE Russell indexes, constructed to offer broad large-, mid-, and small-capitalization equity exposure, while excluding companies involved in the production of alcohol, tobacco, gambling, adult entertainment, weapons, fossil fuels, and nuclear power. The construction methodology also excludes companies that do not meet certain diversity criteria, as well as the labor, human rights, anti-corruption, and environmental standards defined by the United Nations Global Compact Principles.

“Our donors are increasingly interested in aligning their charitable investment strategy with their personal values,” said Jane Greenfield, president of Vanguard Charitable. “We are thrilled to offer indexed Vanguard ESG ETFs that provide donors with access to the broader market through an EGS screen.”

Vanguard Charitable, a leader in low-cost, high-quality donor-advised funds, announced the new investment options as part of a larger refresh of their investment lineup, providing donors with diverse options that better align to their short- and long-term philanthropic goals. Additional funds launching are:

• Total International Bond
• Balanced Index
• Wellington
• Income, a proprietary 20/80 blend of stocks and bonds

The new investment options all consist of underlying Vanguard mutual funds, with direct pass-through of Vanguard’s renowned low expense ratios. The company announced earlier this summer it is retiring its Gift Preservation investment option.

Vanguard Charitable is also rolling out new investment positioning, grouping options into Portfolio Solutions, Portfolio Builders, and Values-Driven Investments, as a way to guide donors at all levels of investment acumen to choose the best options for their philanthropic needs.

“Our primary objective is to help our donors increase their impact on the causes and missions they care about most. By restructuring and expanding our investment options, we’re ensuring our donors have access to a diverse range of asset classes and professionally rebalanced funds, all at a low cost, to construct the right charitable portfolio for their specific giving goals,” said Jane.

Current donors will be able to recommend investment in the seven new options beginning October 4, 2018. Individuals and families interested in learning more about Vanguard Charitable’s donor-advised fund can visit vanguardcharitable.org.

About Vanguard Charitable

Vanguard Charitable is a leading U.S. nonprofit organization that fulfills its mission to increase philanthropic giving by administering a donor-advised fund—a tax-effective way to consolidate, accrue, and grant assets to charity. Since it was founded by Vanguard1 in 1997 as an independent 501(c)(3) organization, Vanguard Charitable has granted nearly $8 billion to charity. More information is available at vanguardcharitable.org.

1Although Vanguard provides certain investment management and administrative services to Vanguard Charitable pursuant to a service agreement, Vanguard Charitable is not a program or activity of Vanguard. A majority of Vanguard Charitable’s trustees are independent of Vanguard.