Zac Kester

Zac Kester is the Managing Director of Advanta Management and the Manager of the Advanta Charitable Lending Fund LLC. This private credit facility provides bespoke charitable gift financing loans to individuals. He earned this leadership position within six months of joining the organization due to his knowledge of complex charitable giving, personal tax planning, and pooled charitable investment funds. His expertise spans accredited private placement, charitable pooled investing, private credit lending, and private debt fund management.

The fund is organized and operated as a program-related investment (PRI). This advanced philanthropic tool prioritizes charitable purpose over financial return while maintaining appropriate returns, enabling capital to be reused for future philanthropic efforts. Its mission is to help reverse the nationwide decline in charitable giving by making sophisticated charitable giving strategies more accessible.

In 2025, Kester joined the fund as Executive Vice President, working with accredited charitable institutional investors as they completed investment due diligence. During his first year as an investment relations professional, he secured $50 million in new investments. During the second year, he and the fund anticipate achieving more than $100 million in new investments, funding more than $100 million in loans, and supporting more than $100 million in charitable gifts.

As Managing Director, Zachary Kester oversees the lending and investment teams while guiding the organization’s overall operations. His primary responsibility is ensuring the fund remains aligned with its PRI mission while appropriately managing lending and investment risks. He supports borrower evaluation, collateral monitoring, loan performance oversight, and the use of data-driven standards for collateral valuation. He also promotes collaboration among sales, credit, and compliance teams early in the review process.

Kester works closely with charitable and mission-driven investors to demonstrate how the lending programs support charitable purposes and measurable impact. He also helps structure loans with specialized collateral strategies designed to protect investor capital and preserve resources for future charitable and community-focused programs.

Kester's responsibilities include overseeing liquidity, financial stability, investor reporting, financial controls, audit preparation, stress testing, and risk management. Through coordination with lending, underwriting, treasury, and risk teams, he helps maintain a disciplined operational approach.

Outside of his professional responsibilities, Zac Kester serves as a Director of Advanta Philanthropic, a Director of a large charitable grantmaking organization, and remains active in his local church. He earned a Certificate in Fundraising Management and Philanthropic Studies in 2012, holds the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) designation, and is pursuing the Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) and Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) designations.