Ways to Give
Choose the method of giving that suits your circumstances: your age, tax bracket, and financial situation. We will help you sort out the many options and discover the gift plan that works for you.
Outright Gifts
This is an immediate transfer, without reservation, of cash or property to us or for our use. The best asset to use for an outright gift might not be cash. You may have appreciated property-such as real estate or securities-that produces a double benefit when transferred to us. You receive an income tax deduction and avoid capital gains on the appreciation. Or, you may have real estate or personal property that is no longer needed. Using this property allows you to make a gift without reducing your financial assets.
Planned or Deferred Gifts
Perhaps you cannot afford to make a current major contribution. If this is the case, you might consider a deferred gift.
- A bequest to the Center for the Arts through your will can reduce taxes on your estate. The gift can be cash or specific personal or real property. It can consist of a share of the residual of your estate. It can be outright or in trust. It can be restricted or unrestricted.
- A charitable remainder trust is a planned gift designed to benefit you now and provide funding for us in the future. Along with an immediate income tax charitable deduction, you receive income for yourself-and perhaps one or more others as well-for life. After that, we are allowed to use the remaining funds for our important work.
- Instead of giving us cash or securities to fund a trust, you might prefer to donate ultimate ownership of your home, retaining life use for yourself through a retained life estate. By deeding the property to us now, subject to your lifetime possession and that of a survivor, you receive an immediate income tax charitable deduction.
- A charitable gift annuity is another way to assure yourself lifetime payments from property you contribute. You make an irrevocable gift of money or securities to the Center for the Arts and receive a fixed dollar amount annually, which is determined by your age at the time of the gift. (Charitable gift annuities are not available in some states or from some organizations.)
Those who have made a planned gift or bequest provision are also honored as members of the Mason Legacy Society
Gifts to Endowment
Gifts to endowment are vital to the future of the Center for the Arts. A healthy endowment provides stability of income, ensuring the program's funding is secure for generations to come. The principal established by the endowment gift is permanently protected and invested in perpetuity to advance the mission of the University. Only a portion of the principal's earnings is distributed annually for expenditure, thus protecting the endowment's value against inflation.
Endowments may be unrestricted or restricted as to purpose, depending on the donor's intent.
Matching Gifts
Your gift can be doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled through a corporate matching gift program. To find out if your company, or your spouse's company, matches gifts, contact your human resources office.
If your company does match gifts, obtain from your company's human resources or community relations office a matching gift form and guidelines for matching gifts. Complete your portion of the matching gift form and mail your gift and the form to:
Annual Giving
Office of University Development
4400 University Drive, MS 1A3
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
Tailor Your Gifts to Your Circumstances
A sound approach to charitable gift planning is to match your intended contribution with your stage of life, finances, and tax considerations. The chart below reviews various gift plans related to your age, income level, and estate size, and explains the benefits of these gifts.
Type of Gift |
Suitable for: | Your benefits: | Our benefits: |
Cash (outright gift) | Any age and any income/estate level | Income tax deduction | Immediate use for our needs |
Long-term appreciated securities (outright gift) | Any age and any income/estate level | Income tax deduction, avoidance of capital gains tax | immediate use of income or sale proceeds |
Personal property or related use by us (outright gift) | Any age and any income/estate level | Income tax deduction, avoidance of capital gains tax | Immediate use of property |
Real property (outright gift) | Any age and any income/estate level | Income tax deduction, avoidance of capital gains tax | Immediate use of property or its income or sale proceeds |
Life insurance policy | Any age and any income/estate level | Current and possible future income tax deductions | Ultimate use of policy proceeds |
Bequest (through your will) | Any age and any income/estate level | Estate tax savings | Ultimate use of gift |
Charitable gift annuity* | Over age 60 and retired, with a modest income/estate | Fixed lifetime payments (partially tax-exempt); estate and income tax savings | Ultimate use of gift |
Deferred payment gift annuity* | Age 40-60 and employed, with a moderate income/estate |
Supplemental retirement plan; estate and income tax savings | Ultimate use of gift |
Charitable remainder annuity trust | Over age 60 and retired, with a high income and sizeable estate | Fixed lifetime income; estate and income tax savings | Ultimate use of gift |
Charitable remainder unitrust | Age 60-75 and retired, with a high income and sizeable estate | Variable lifetime income as inflation hedge; estate and income tax savings | Ultimate use of gift |
Unitrust with term of 20 years | Over age 80, with a potentially taxable estate | Income for self now and beneficiaries later; estate and income tax savings | Ultimate use of gift |
Charitable lead trust | Over age 60 and retired, with a high income and large estate | Ability to pass property to others with reduced gift and estate taxes | Use of income for term of trust |
Gift of home, retaining life use | Over age 70, with modest income/estate | Income tax deduction; retained use of home; estate tax savings | Ultimate use of property or its sale proceeds |
For questions or more information about giving to the Center for the Arts, please contact:
Cody Clarke, Development Coordinator
703-993-4749