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 issues customized charitable gift financing loans to individuals. He moved into this leadership role within six months of joining the firm, supported by his knowledge of complex charitable giving, personal tax planning, and pooled charitable investment funds. His expertise includes 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 structure places charitable purpose before financial return while still preserving appropriate returns so capital can be reused for future philanthropic efforts. Its mission focuses on helping reverse the nationwide decline in charitable giving by making complex charitable giving strategies more accessible. Kester joined the fund in 2025 as Executive Vice President and worked with accredited charitable institutional investors as they completed investment due diligence. In his first year as an investment relations professional, he achieved $50 million in new investments. In the second year, he and the fund anticipate more than $100 million in new investments, more than $100 million in funded loans, and more than $100 million in new charitable gifts. As Managing Director, Zachary Kester oversees the lending and investment teams while guiding the organization’s overall operations. His role includes keeping the fund aligned with its PRI purpose while managing lending and investment risk. He supports responsible borrower review, clear loan documentation, collateral valuation standards, ongoing industry education, and early collaboration among sales, credit, and compliance teams. Zac Kester also works with charitable and mission-driven investors to explain how the fund’s lending programs support charitable purposes and the PRI mission.