Estas Listo? You Ready? {{first_name}} ,

As we near our beta… I was feeling rather romantic. Here’s my letter to the Sector, inviting everyone to use PhiloFund.

The money was always ours.

Giving is one of the most human things we do. Long before there were tax codes, donor-advised funds, or foundation endowments, people gave. To their neighbors, their churches, their communities. Direct, personal, and immediate. So how did we get here?

In 1913, the federal income tax was established in the United States. Just a few years later, in 1917, Congress created the charitable deduction, and with it, a new question entered the room: Who controls where the money goes? Private foundations followed, formalized and popularized by the Rockefellers, Carnegies, and Fords of the world. Wealth managers, estate attorneys, and tax advisors all had something to say about the most personal decision a person can make: how to help someone else.

Donor Advised Funds, or DAFs, are now here. Boo. Created in the 1930s but exploding in popularity over the last two decades, DAFs now hold hundreds of billions of dollars in assets. _{Source: The DAF Report.} The idea is that you contribute money, get your tax deduction today, and then decide later where it actually goes. Sounds convenient. But here is what we do not say out loud enough: a significant portion of that money sits. It waits. It earns returns inside the fund while nonprofits close their doors, lay off staff, and cut programs.

In times like these, that matters more than ever.

The nonprofit sector is not a nice-to-have. It is infrastructure. In the United States alone, the sector employs over 12 million people, making it one of the largest employers in the country. _{Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies and Bureau of Labor Statistics.}

Nonprofits contribute an estimated $1.4 trillion to the U.S. economy annually. _{Source: Independent Sector.} They run food banks, health clinics, housing programs, arts institutions, after-school programs, and disaster relief. They show up when the government steps back. And right now, the government is stepping back.

We are watching federal funding evaporate from entire categories of human services. The sector is being asked to carry more weight with less support, while the dollars that people actually want to give sit in holding accounts waiting for someone with a financial advisor to decide it is the right time to release them.

This is the contradiction PhiloFund was built to address.

We have also learned something remarkable from the internet. Crowdfunding changed everything. It proved that regular people, not just the wealthy, have real philanthropic power when they have the right tools. When a family faces a medical crisis, a GoFundMe can move faster than any foundation grant cycle. The instinct to give is there. The will is there. What has been missing is a system built for the everyday donor, not just the wealthy one.

PhiloFund is that system.

Not another holding account. Not another intermediary deciding when your money is ready to move. A direct, intelligent platform that helps you find the nonprofits that match your values, track the real impact of your giving over time, manage your giving portfolio the same way you manage any other investment, and report your giving clearly at tax time.

The power of your dollar was never supposed to require a middleman. PhiloFund is bringing it back to you.

Dr. Andrea Ortega

Founder and CEO, PhiloFund

I had the honor of being featured in The Charge News, UCF's student publication, after being interviewed by the talented Valentina Solorzano at the Building Our Tech Signature Summit earlier this month.

When she asked me about what it takes to build something from scratch, I told her the truth:

"You just have to be scared and do it anyway. Those are the ones that end up doing something revolutionary."

Starting Palante Nonprofits and PhiloFund wasn't a perfectly mapped-out journey. It required being DELULU. the kind that makes you bet on yourself before the world does.

Last week, at the PhilanthropyMiami IGNITE Conference, I had the privilege of sitting across from some of the most thoughtful, mission-driven leaders in South Florida, and they chose me as their coach. From 12 pm to 5 pm, I was a part of the executive leaders' speed-dating-style experience, where leaders could book 30-minute sessions with me. It was an amazing experience!

Whether you're a donor looking to be more intentional with your giving, or a nonprofit ready to connect with aligned supporters, we want you in our beta cohort. Spots are limited. Be among the first to experience PhiloFund.

Our Beta: The core donation experience launches soon. Donors can search for nonprofits, make secure one-time or recurring donations, and track their giving history from any device. Nonprofits register with their EIN and 501(c)(3) letter, get verified, and start receiving funds directly.

We are in the final stretch before beta and the energy is everything. Here is where we are and how you can be part of it.

Follow us on social. It genuinely helps more than you know. Every follow, share, and comment tells the algorithm that PhiloFund is worth paying attention to. Find us on Instagram and LinkedIn

Interested in investing? We are opening our first angel investor conversations, and we would love to give our community a first look. If you are curious about what that means or just want to learn more.

Mi comunidad (YOU) is part of what drives PhiloFund to continue moving forward. I don't take that lightly. More updates coming soon. In the meantime, get on the list. 🌱

Dr. Andrea Ortega

Founder & CEO, PhiloFund

[email protected]