The Jewish Communal Fund, the largest Jewish donor-advised fund in the United States, has announced that it distributed a record $397 million in grants during its 2017 fiscal year, which ended on June 30.

The amount was up 4 percent on a year-over-year basis, while the number of grants awarded rose 13 percent, to 52,402, with an average grant amount of $7,572.77. The fund also reported that it distributed 26 percent of the more than $1.5 billion in total charitable assets under management, well above the industry average. In terms of issue areas, donor-advised fund holders recommended a total of $94.2 million for education, followed by $51.5 million for international affairs and Israel, $43.1 million for health, $36.5 million for religion, and $31.7 million for Jewish education.

"Each year, we are incredibly pleased to create new records when it comes to the extraordinary growth in the number and amount of grants distributed, and this past year was no exception," said JCF executive vice president Susan F. Dickman. "We are honored to facilitate the charitable giving of our very generous fund holders, who are very active in their grantmaking."