# Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP)

> The CAP is a designation from The American College of Financial Services for advisors who have studied charitable giving and philanthropic planning.

Canonical page: https://find.wellspent.co/glossary/cap/
Also called: CAP

To earn it, an advisor passes three College courses, on family philanthropy, charitable giving strategies, and gift planning from a nonprofit's side, each with its own final exam. They need three years of full-time relevant business experience and must agree to The American College Code of Ethics.

To keep it, client-facing designees complete 30 hours of continuing education every two years, including one hour of ethics.

The CAP is common among advisors, attorneys, and nonprofit gift officers alike, so a CAP holder may not be a financial advisor at all. It is not a license and says nothing about how someone is paid.

In the public graph, 22 of the 24,501 fee-only advisors list the CAP.

## How to check

The American College lists designees in good standing on Your Advisor Guide (youradvisorguide.com). For an investment advisor, also check the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site.

## Sources

- [The American College of Financial Services: CAP](https://www.theamericancollege.edu/designations-degrees/CAP)
- [FINRA professional designations: CAP](https://www.finra.org/investors/professional-designations/cap)
- [Your Advisor Guide (American College designation verification)](https://www.youradvisorguide.com/)

## Related terms

- [Chartered Special Needs Consultant (ChSNC)](https://find.wellspent.co/glossary/chsnc.md)
- [CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP) certification](https://find.wellspent.co/glossary/cfp.md)
- [Fee-only financial advisor](https://find.wellspent.co/glossary/fee-only.md)
- [Fiduciary](https://find.wellspent.co/glossary/fiduciary.md)