Giving
- Becoming a Donor
- Why Choose The Dayton Foundation?
- Types of Funds
- What You Can Give
- How to Create a Fund
- Community Impact Endowment Funds
- Advantages of the Charitable Checking Account Service
- Open a Charitable Checking Account Now
- Family FoundationPlus vs. Private Foundation
- Options for People with Disabilities
- For Foundation Donors
- Lend a Helping Hand
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Access Your Fund
What You Can Give
Just as your philanthropic goals are unique, so are your plans for how and what you want to give. We will help to assure the best tax advantages for you, meet your charitable goals and give you a sense of pride in affiliating with a philanthropic community of caring people who truly are making a difference.
Click on the links below for details.
WAYS YOU CAN GIVE NOW
- Checks or Credit Cards
- Appreciated Securities
- Real Estate and Other Real Property
- Closely Held Stock/Limited Liability Partnership Interests
- IRA
LEGACY GIFTS (PLANNED AND DEFERRED GIFT VEHICLES)
Checks or Credit Cards
Checks are the easiest and most popular giving vehicles. You also may use your Visa, MasterCard or American Express to donate online to any Dayton Foundation endowed fund or Charitable Checking Account℠.
Gifts given via checks or credit cards are fully deductible for federal income tax purposes up to 60 percent of your Adjusted Gross Income. Amounts given over and above this may be carried forward and deducted for up to five years beyond the year you make your gift.
Questions? Read our check gifts Q&A.
Appreciated Securities
Get the most tax savings by contributing securities with unrealized long-term capital gains directly to The Dayton Foundation, instead of selling the assets and donating the proceeds. By doing so, you can give more to charity and secure valuable tax benefits.
Giving stock that you have owned for over a year is deductible in amounts up to 30 percent of your Adjusted Gross Income. Just like with cash, amounts exceeding this limit may be deducted for up to five additional years. You also avoid paying any long-term capital gains tax on the increased value of your stock. Other marketable securities, such as bonds, Treasury Bills or mutual funds, provide similar tax-saving advantages.
Questions? Read our gifts of appreciated securities Q&A.
Real Estate and Other Tangible Personal Property
Gifts of real estate entitle you to a charitable deduction for the fair market value of the property. If you wish to donate a personal residence or farm and choose to live on the property for the rest of your life, you will receive a current tax deduction for the future value of your gift.
The Dayton Foundation also will consider gifts of personal property, such as artwork, collectibles and jewelry. This type of gift arrangement must be discussed individually. Please contact a member of our Development Department at (937) 222-0410 to discuss the details of such a proposed gift. All such gifts, however, are subject to approval by the Foundation’s Gift Acceptance Committee and the Governing Board.
To request a copy of the Foundation’s Gift Acceptance Policy, please contact Jill Koorndyk, senior director, Donor Services, at (937) 225-9944.
Questions? Read our gifts of real estate Q&A.
Closely Held Stock/Limited Liability Partnership Interests
Closely held stocks are shares in a privately owned business. The stock can be contributed outright to The Dayton Foundation. As the donor, you generally are entitled to a deduction for the appraised fair market value, up to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income. Special rules apply to shares of sub-chapter S corporation stock.
If you own limited partnership interests, such as investment or business partnerships, or family limited partnership interests, you also can contribute them to The Dayton Foundation. While donations of these and other more complicated assets require care, consideration and planning, we have the flexibility and expertise to accept them in most cases.
Questions? Read our gifts of closely held stock/limited liability partnership interests Q&A.
IRA
Individuals over the age of 70 1/2, who must take a required minimum distribution from their traditional IRA, may transfer up to $100,000 to a 501(c)(3) public charity and not have it show as income for tax purposes. A married couple with two separate IRAs may take up to $200,000 tax free over the same period of time. IRA Rollover assets also may be used to create the following fund options through The Dayton Foundation.
Scholarship Fund - encourages education by providing scholarships to deserving students based upon academic interest or other criteria.
Field-of-Interest Fund - supports a particular area of interest - such as children, education, the arts, health or the environment - and relies on the Foundation’s expertise to determine where community need is greatest.
Community Impact Endowment Fund - enables the Foundation to help address our region’s changing needs by increasing discretionary grants awards and undertaking new initiatives.
Designated Fund - make annual grant awards to your specific charity or charities.
Questions? Learn more about IRA Charitable Giving Options through The Dayton Foundation.
OUTRIGHT LEGACY GIFTS (PLANNED AND DEFERRED GIFTS)
If you are looking to establish an estate plan or to revise an existing plan, why not suggest leaving a portion of your estate to The Dayton Foundation as a legacy gift. Remembering charity in your will or financial or estate plan can:
- significantly reduce your tax liability,
- preserve your charitable intent in perpetuity,
- produce a financial windfall for your favorite church, school or nonprofit organization and,
- when a life income plan is involved, provide added income benefits for you and your family.
Types of planned and deferred gift vehicles include:
Life Insurance
Gifting a life insurance policy is a perfect option if the policy is no longer needed. You can take a charitable deduction approximately equal to the policy’s cash value at the time you make the gift. If you are continuing to pay annual premiums, those premiums will become tax-deductible each year.
Questions? Read our gifts of life insurance Q&A.
Bequests
Bequests through a will are one of the most effective methods of providing for your favorite charities while enabling you to keep assets or property during your lifetime. Naming the Foundation in your will can be accomplished through an amendment called a codicil and by establishing a deferred fund through The Dayton Foundation.
Types of bequests include:
General Bequest the Foundation receives a designated dollar amount from your residuary estate.
Percentage Bequest the Foundation receives a percentage of your estate.
Specific Bequest a piece of property, such as real estate or stock, is transferred to the Foundation.
Residuary Bequest the Foundation receives the remaining property of your estate after other obligations are met, including all debts, taxes and other bequests.
Contingent Bequest your gift is contingent upon satisfying other events, such as the death of your spouse.
Life Estate Remainder Interest
You can gift your home, farm or vacation property to the Foundation and retain the right to use the property during your lifetime, after which it is sold by the Foundation. You benefit from an immediate tax deduction in the year that the gift arrangement is made.
Retirement Plan Assets
A gift of retirement assets, such as pension plans for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), may enable you to leave more money to charity. This could eliminate taxes that may otherwise consume a large part of these assets.
Questions? Read our gifts of retirement plan assets Q&A.
Charitable Trusts
Charitable lead trusts allow you to transfer assets to a trust, then gift the income to a charity of your choice. Eventually the assets are distributed to your beneficiaries. Properly set up, this type of planned and deferred gift may help you redirect income to charity and avoid estate taxes in the future.
LIFE INCOME PLANS
Life income plans offer a way for you to receive income for life, gain an immediate charitable tax deduction and leave an everlasting legacy to the Greater Dayton Region. Additionally, life income plans can:
- provide charitable gift deductions,
- significantly reduce or even eliminate capital gains tax on gifts of appreciated property,
- improve income from low-yield, high-value assets,
- offer effective and flexible retirement planning options,
- remove gifted assets from your taxable estate, and
- provide income for life for you and your family.
Learn more about the types of life income plans.
Learn more about current and deferred gift giving options, as well as gift options that produce income for you and/or others, in our brochure, Ways to Give Through and to Your Charitable Fund.
HERE TO HELP

“To tailor a solution to your individual needs and to learn how we can help you help others, talk with me.”
– Michelle Lovely, senior vice president, Development and Donor Services, (937) 225-9948
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