Greater Worcester Community Foundation accepts a variety of assets as gifts.

Cash

A cash gift is the most common type of charitable gift because of its simplicity. With a gift of $10,000 or more ($30,000 for scholarship funds), you can establish an endowed fund of your choice that will begin generating income for grants immediately and continue in perpetuity. You can also donate any amount to an existing fund.

Cash gifts are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, currently up to 50% of your adjusted gross income in any one year. Contributions exceeding this limit may be carried over and deducted for up to five years following the gift.

You can donate to any of our established funds online now with a credit card using a secure vendor. Or, checks can be made payable to Greater Worcester Community Foundation and mailed directly to the Foundation:

Greater Worcester Community Foundation
One Mercantile Street, Suite 010
Worcester, MA 01608-1738

Please note the fund name in the memo field.

Stocks, bonds, mutual funds

Giving gifts of long-term appreciated property in the form of stocks, bonds or mutual funds will provide greater tax benefits than a cash gift of equivalent value, especially if they have a low cost basis. You can receive a charitable deduction for the full market value of your property, even if you initially bought it for far less. 

You will also avoid capital gains tax, which is money you would have had to pay if you liquidated the property.

Download instructions for transferring public traded securities (PDF).

Real Estate and Personal Property

If you have real estate assets that you would like to use for a charitable gift, we can accept the gift outright, or we can work with you to convert your asset into a charitable trust that produces income. 

Because each gift of real estate is unique, a Foundation staff member will be happy to meet with you to discuss the process and details of making such a gift. You can also give tangible personal property such as art or antiques.

Find out more information about gifts of real property.

Transfer of an Existing Private Foundation

A private foundation requires you to set up a separate legal entity, handle annual audits and filings, engage staff or trustees, and take on much of the operational overhead yourself. With a donor advised fund, you remain focused on the causes you care about, not the paperwork.

Compare a private foundation to a donor advised fund

For donors with more than $5 million, we offer another option called a supporting organization. This approach allows you to maintain a fund with a separate charitable identity and its own mission and board, while benefiting from the Foundation’s expertise, tax-exempt charity status and administrative support.

Charitable Lead Trust

The trust makes payments to a named fund at the Foundation for charitable purposes you specify. After a set number of years, the trust's remaining principal and any accumulated appreciation can be distributed to children, grandchildren or other named beneficiaries, often with significant estate tax savings.

Qualified Charitable Distributions

If you’re age 70½ or older, you can make a tax-free Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA to your own personalized fund at Greater Worcester Community Foundation. Doing so is a simple and smart way to support your favorite charitable interests.

Learn more about QCDs