What to Give

Whether you are creating a fund or contributing to your own or someone else’s existing fund, cash is the simplest asset to give. You can deduct the value of your cash gift up to 50 percent of your adjusted gross income on your federal income tax return. Contributions of more than that amount can be carried over and deducted for up to five years following the year of your gift.

If you would like to create a fund, please talk to us before transferring cash. You can contribute to your existing fund, or someone else’s, at any time by sending a check or using your credit card online.

Appreciated securities are one of the most effective assets for a charitable gift because you avoid the capital gains tax that would be imposed if you sold the stock yourself. Generally you can deduct the fair market value of your stock up to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income, with a five year carry-over. The actual impact of such a gift on your personal taxes should be reviewed with your tax advisor. Plan your fund with Foundation staff and kindly alert us to look for your stock transfer.

Learn more about transferring securities to the Foundation.

If you own stock in a closely-held business, in many cases, and pending review by our Gift Acceptance Committee, you can use your stock to create a fund at the Foundation and even benefit the company, too. Our staff can help you and your advisors explore ways to maximize your goals and minimize your tax liability. Please contact us to discuss your options.

Shares in limited partnerships and limited liability companies can be effective sources of charitable gifts, depending on a number of factors. Our professional staff can help you and your advisors consider the options and understand the careful review that the Foundation’s Gift Acceptance Committee will employ.

The Foundation can accept real estate as a gift and this includes your home, vacation home, apartment building, commercial property, or undeveloped land. Whether you give your property now, in your estate, or retain the right to live in it, your gift of real estate can convert a major asset into charitable benefit. Gifts of real estate require careful review, but they can offer substantial benefits.

A life insurance policy can be the ideal tool for charitable giving if you own policies that have outlived their original purpose. You irrevocably assign your insurance policy to the Foundation, and the Foundation is named beneficiary of the policy. You may well find that you can make a much larger gift than you thought possible.

Tax Tip: If your policy is not yet paid in full, or is a term policy, you can make tax-deductible contributions to the Foundation to cover the policy's annual premium. If the policy is paid up, you will receive an immediate tax deduction in an amount equal to the policy's cash surrender value.

Generally not the ideal gift for lifetime income tax deductions, tangible personal property (paintings, silver, antiques, etc.) can be effective gifts if you have recently inherited them or if you leave them to the Foundation in your estate.