An overview about the assets you can give to start or increase a fund

Cash

Straightforward. Hassle Free.

Cash, usually in the form of a check, is an easy and convenient way for you to support worthy causes in the community. Gifts of cash enable you as a donor to claim a current income tax deduction of up to 60 percent of your adjusted gross income in any one year when you itemize deductions. The excess, if any, may be carried forward for an additional five years. Actual tax savings from cash gifts depend on your tax bracket. You can make a credit card donation here.

Save on Income Tax and Bypass Capital Gains.

Gifts of appreciated securities offer important tax advantages, since their full fair market value, not your cost basis, is deductible as a charitable contribution (up to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income each year). Like gifts of cash, deduction amounts that exceed the limit can be carried forward for up to five additional years. You avoid paying federal capital gains or state income taxes on the appreciated portion of the gift. After the Foundation liquidates the securities, the full value of your gift is available to support your charitable goals. Transfer stock.

Turn Property Gains Into Community Good.

Community Foundation Santa Cruz County can accept gifts of a house or other personal residence, farms, commercial buildings, and income-producing or non-income-producing lands. A gift of real estate that you have owned for more than one year entitles you to the same federal tax advantages as those for gifts of securities—a tax deduction for the full fair market value of the property—while allowing you to avoid paying capital gains tax (provided you donate prior to entering into a sales contract).

Often the Best Asset to Donate, Tax-wise.

Retirement plan assets are often the most advantageous gift to give from your estate because they are so heavily taxed if left to heirs, instead of to a tax-exempt organization. Income taxes can easily consume over half of the account balance left at death when given to individuals. By naming the Foundation as the beneficiary of these assets, you can leave a legacy more sizable than would be possible in most other instances, undiminished by income taxes.

Put Your IRA to Work Charitably.

If you are age 70½ or older, you can transfer up to $105,000 from your traditional Individual Retirement Account (IRA) directly to a charity. If you are 73 or older, the transfer counts towards your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) and allows you to avoid paying income tax on the distribution, while supporting your favorite charity or any fund at the Community Foundation that is not a Donor-Advised Fund.

We can help you complete a gift to a variety of funds at the Foundation or to a qualified public charity of your choice (contributions to donor-advised funds, charitable trusts, and private foundations do not qualify). The IRA charitable rollover is especially useful if you itemize and exceed your maximum charitable deduction, or if you don’t itemize. Directing your IRA to charity can also help reduce your heirs’ tax burden.

A Simple yet Significant Gift to Your Community.

For those whose need for life insurance has decreased, making a gift of a paid-up policy can be a convenient and effective way to meet your charitable goals. When you transfer ownership of a cash value policy to Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, and make the Foundation its beneficiary, you become eligible for a charitable tax deduction based on the policy’s current value.

Save on your Taxes by Donating Cryptocurrency

By donating a gift of appreciated cryptocurrency directly to the community foundation, you gain a tax-efficient way to support your favorite cause. When donating cryptocurrency, you receive a tax deduction for the fair market value of the crypto, and you avoid the capital gains tax you would have incurred if you had sold the crypto and then made a donation. Contact us to see which cryptocurrencies we accept.

And more!

Call us to talk about other assets you may be able to give.

Closely-held securities; other business interests; copyrights, royalty payments and licensing revenue, and other intellectual property are only some of the possibilities we’d be happy to discuss with you.