Simply stated, without your added financial assistance, we would not be able to provide such a fulfilling educational and cultural experience for our campus and community. The French House is a non-profit, 501(c)(3), corporation and your donation is tax deductible. A receipt for your donation will be provided.
Because many of our donors have a vested, personal interest in the French House, we would be very happy to discuss ways in which your donation can go towards a specific fund or project. Per IRS Publication 526, cash gifts are deductible up to 50% of the donor’s adjusted gross income in the year of the gift with any balance carried forward up to five more years.
Online donations can be made by clicking here. If you prefer other ways of supporting the French House with a financial contribution, you could consider donating…
A. …with a Pledge
B. …with a Personal Check
C. …with Retirement Assets
D. …with a Corporate Matching Program
E. …with a gift of Property
A. Donate with a Pledge: Let us know how much you’d like to donate and we’ll send you information about paying easily and conveniently with a personal check or ACH (bank transfer). To contact us, click here or email us at info@uwfrenchhouse.org.
B. Donate with a personal check: You can send a check directly to “The French House” at 633 N Frances Street, Madison, WI 53703. But we are still very happy to take donations with a credit card. Credit card donations to our Centennial Fund can be made here by clicking here.
C. Retirement assets: Donate with your IRA or via planned giving
1). IRA: Making a charitable contribution from your IRA supports a good cause and offers tax advantages. Charitable contributions can satisfy the Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). They can also reduce your tax burden (which can be as much as 75% of the retirement assets). Here’s why:
Qualified traditional retirement savings are generally subject to federal income tax as they are withdrawn from the plan. Per IRS Publication 590-B, failure to take the RMD results in a 50% tax on the undistributed amount. At death, any remaining account balance is included in the calculation of the gross estate and may be subject to both income and estate taxes. A generation-skipping tax may apply to substantial account balances that pass to grandchildren or to other remote generations.
For traditional IRAs, a charitable contribution can satisfy the RMD that individuals must take starting at age 70 1/2. For Roth IRAs, there is no RMD requirement while you are alive.
Up to $100,000 may be tax deductible! Per current tax law, donors can at least claim a deduction for their charitable contribution. If the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014 gets reinstated again in 2015 as it was in prior years, it would mean an even better “extension of tax-free distributions from individual retirement plans for charitable purposes.” Please see Charitable Donations from IRAs for more information.
2). Planned Giving: Designating your beneficiaries – including the beneficiaries of your life insurance policies – is one of the most important steps you will take to ensure that the people and the organizations that you love continue to receive your support after you are gone. Please consult your tax/financial advisors for more information.
D. Corporate Matching program: Double your donation!: Your employer may encourage you to make charitable gifts through payroll deductions, but each donation is taken after-tax. The after-tax charitable donations, however, are deductible when you file your return.
The French House is currently an Eligible Charity with Benevity, a corporate matching program platform. If your employer uses a different platform, or would like the French House to furnish any supporting documentation, please let us know!
E. Donations of Property: Since day one of its existence, the French House has received, from time to time, gifts of property including fine art, books*, furniture, audio/video equipment, dinnerware and food services items. We are very grateful to continue to do so and would be happy to speak with you about potential donations of this sort.
*For books, we accept French or francophone themed rare books and picture books. For all other sorts of books, please consider donating to the Friends of Memorial Library annual book sale (more info at https://www.library.wisc.edu/friends).
Contact us if we can provide any additional information. MERCI!