Payments

Bank of America partners with Zelle for faster charitable donations

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March 18, 2026

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Bank of America has partnered with Zelle to provide charitable disbursements from donor-advised funds via the Zelle Forward app.

With this tool, nonprofits can receive grant funds almost instantly, compared to the traditional paper-based process, according to a press release.

This proof of concept will be offered through Bank of America's DAF Charitable Gift Fund. The bank aims to improve the speed of donations for natural disasters or major crises.

"Zelle is a staple of the American economy and Americans are ready for it to do more," Denise Leonhard, general manager of Zelle, said in the release. "Through Zelle Forward, we are advancing practical new applications of the Zelle network, and this charitable grant delivery capability represents the first of many ways Zelle will continue to innovate and grow. By bringing the speed and reliability of Zelle to charitable grant delivery, we are helping funds reach nonprofits faster so organizations can stay focused on their missions."

Donors may give to a variety of nonprofits or invest for a longer impact.

"For nonprofits, deploying their resources quickly and effectively matters — whether responding to community needs or scaling vital services," Donald Greene, donor-advised fund executive, Bank of America Private Bank, said in the release. "By partnering with Zelle to develop this innovation, we're giving both donors and nonprofits a more modern and responsive way to take in and make use of charitable contributions. This advancement strengthens our clients' ability to support the causes they care about and accelerates the impact of nonprofits."