A cash gift is the simplest way to establish a fund or give to an existing fund. Cash gifts are fully deductible up to 50 percent of the donor’s adjusted gross income in any one year. Deduction amounts exceeding this limit may be carried forward for up to five additional years.

Gifts of appreciated securities (stock, bonds, and most mutual funds) also provide tax advantages. If you have held the securities for one year or longer, the current value generally is tax-deductible up to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income, with a five-year carryover if the gift amount is more than the 30 percent limit.

We can accept a gift of a house or other personal residence, farm, commercial building and income-producing or non-income producing land. A gift of real estate you have owned for more than a year entitles you to a tax deduction for the fair market value of the property, and you avoid paying capital gains taxes.

When you name the Community Foundation as the owner and beneficiary of an existing or new life insurance policy, you receive an immediate tax deduction that usually approximates the cash surrender value of the policy. All premium payments made thereafter are deductible as a charitable contribution.

Many of the gifts we receive come in the form of end-of-life bequests, small and large, from caring donors who wish to create a legacy in their community. Bequests allow you to support your community and the causes you care deeply about long after your lifetime. A charitable bequest can be a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or what remains after other bequests are made.