Yes, you can make charitable gifts directly to your favorite public charities if you are 70 ½ or older. These Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) are capped at $100,000 per year in 2024 and then indexed to inflation. While QCDs are reportable, they are not taxed as income.
Taking a taxable distribution and then making a deductible contribution is less efficient than a QCD.
Please check with your tax advisor to see if utilizing QCDs makes the most sense for you.