Giving

What is Your Motivation?

Your social investment will help to make our vision a reality; to change and improve the lives of people with autism and developmental disabilities by providing programs and services to educate, employ and empower!

Individual Gifts

Check or Credit Card
Your investment in CAF enables us to continuing expanding our programs and services to educate, employ and empower people with autism and developmental disabilities Click here to donate online through our website

In-kind Gifts
In-kind gifts; both goods and services, are appreciated and screened to assure we can put your gift to work at California Autism Foundation.

Stocks and Securities

By making a gift of appreciated stock, you are making a valuable investment in California Autism Foundation and bypassing capital gains taxes.

Things to know when making a gift of appreciated assets:

  • You must have owned them for at least one year and a day.
  • These gifts are deductible up to 30% of adjusted gross income in the year of the gift.
  • Any unused deduction amounts may be deducted over as many as five subsequent tax years.

Please note that it is usually to your advantage to donate appreciated stock, rather than sell it and give the charity the proceeds. Please check with your financial advisor for more information.

Publicly Traded Stock Gifts

  • Your deductible gift amount will be the average of the high and the low value of the stock on the date when you made the transfer, times the number of shares transferred.
  • When you transfer appreciated stock directly to CAF you do not incur capital gains.

California Autism Foundation is a California 501(c)3 non-profit organization. ID# 68-0149447.

 

Workplace Giving

Workplace giving is an easy and efficient way to make tax-deductible donations to charities through payroll contributions. Together with your company, you can work to benefit your community by providing a much-needed stream of revenue to charities.

Matching Gifts
Many corporations have matching gift programs and will match your donation to an accredited charitable organization. It’s an easy way to double or even triple the impact of your personal contribution to California Autism Foundation. Ask your employer if they have a matching program in place.

California Autism Foundation is a California 501(c)3 non-profit organization. ID# 68-0149447.

 

Planned Giving

What is Planned Giving? A planned gift is a philanthropic gift and legacy that is funded either during the donor’s lifetime or after the donor’s death. The gift is part of a larger estate-planning process in which the donor decides how certain assets are being distributed.

There are many financial instruments available to the savvy estate planner that can help you achieve your long-term financial goals, allowing you to take care of loved ones and still support the work and organizations you care about such as California Autism Foundation. A thoughtful planned gift enables charitable donations at a level that you might not have thought possible, while maximizing tax benefits for you and your family. While some planned gifts provide a life-long income to the donor, others use estate and tax planning techniques to provide for charity and other heirs in ways that maximize the gift and/or minimize its impact on the donor’s estate.

A properly drafted Will or other planned giving devices can minimize estate settlement costs and taxes, ensure that your property is managed the way you want, and provide for your spouse, children and grandchildren. You may be surprised to learn how your Will can also be a flexible way to help keep the critical work of CAF moving forward after your family’s needs have been met.

Whether a gifting cash, appreciated securities/stock, real estate, artwork, partnership interests, personal property, life insurance, a retirement plan, etc., the benefits of funding a planned gift can make this type of charitable giving very attractive and beneficial to both donor and charity.

Life Income Plans
Life income plans are a sophisticated and flexible way to make a gift to California Autism Foundation over a period of years while providing income for you or your beneficiary. Naming CAF as the recipient of such a gift can help you qualify for an immediate charitable tax deduction, reduce your estate tax, avoid or reduce capital gains tax, and give you the satisfaction of contributing helping people with autism and developmental disabilities. Some of the most popular life income plans are:

Charitable Lead Trusts
These are created by irrevocably transferring income-producing assets (cash, stock, other assets, or a combination of these) to the Foundation to be managed and invested. The income from these assets (either a fixed dollar amount or a fixed percentage of the trust principal as revalued annually) is paid to the Foundation for a specified number of years. Upon termination of the trust, the remaining trust assets, including any appreciation in those assets, pass to you or your designated beneficiaries, with little (or no) gift taxes. During each year of the trust, it receives a charitable income tax deduction for the amount of that year’s income paid to the Foundation from the trust. Additionally, because the trust assets are removed from your estate, they are exempt from estate taxes.

Charitable Remainder Trust
This is established by irrevocably transferring income-producing assets to the Foundation to be managed and invested. You or your beneficiary will receive income payments for life or a period of up to 20 years, at the conclusion of which the trust’s remaining assets will transfer to the Foundation for its general use or use as specified by the terms of the trust instrument. Depending on how the trust is invested, the payments to you or your beneficiary may consist of ordinary income, capital gains income, tax-free income, or return of principal. Regardless, you are entitled to an immediate charitable income-tax deduction of the projected value of the “remainder interest” at the time the trust terminates. If appreciated property is used to fund the trust, you can reduce or eliminate capital gains tax on the appreciation.

Charitable Remainder Unitrust
A unitrust can be established during your lifetime or in your will, and is a versatile option that can supplement retirement funds, create education funds or financial support for a beneficiary, or help you accomplish other individual objectives. It pays income to you or your beneficiary based on a percentage (at least 5 percent) of the market value of the trust assets, which are revalued annually. Although the payment percentage is fixed, the distribution from the unitrust varies. The assets most often donated to unitrusts are highly appreciated securities with low yields. By establishing a charitable remainder unitrust, you can reduce or avoid capital gains taxes and receive an immediate charitable income-tax deduction based on the projected value of the “remainder interest” at the time the trust terminates. As the principal of the unitrust grows, the annual distribution also increases. You may add more assets to the unitrust at any time.

Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust
Unlike the unitrust, the annuity trust maintains a fixed income payout rate (at least 5 percent) for the life of the trust. This is an attractive option for those who prefer the security of fixed income payments instead of variable payments with growth potential. Unlike the charitable remainder unitrust, new assets cannot be added to an existing annuity trust; a new trust must be established for additional assets.

Retirement Assets
Some assets are not transferred through a Will – included are retirement assets. Your retirement plan or IRA is designed to support you during your retirement. If you pass away before the funds are depleted, they may be subject to significant estate taxes and income taxes for a non-charitable beneficiary.

Often, a retirement plan is a pre-tax asset and when transferred to a beneficiary, is subject to estate tax as well as income tax. Naming California Autism Foundation as the beneficiary of all or part of an IRA or your qualified retirement plan may be advantageous and financially judicious for it can reduce or eliminate that potential tax burden. After your lifetime, the asset will come directly to CAF without going through probate and your estate will receive a charitable deduction for the amount of the gift.

Naming CAF a beneficiary of your retirement plan is easy. Most often, all that is required is to name the organization on the beneficiary line when you sign up for your retirement plan, or to modify your current election by notifying your plan administrator.

California Autism Foundation is a California 501(c)3 non-profit organization. ID# 68-0149447.

 

Bequests

What is a Charitable Bequest? Quite simply a bequest is a distribution from your estate. A bequest is the simplest and easiest way to make a significant gift to California Autism Foundation after your lifetime.

A bequest offers flexibility – you retain use of your assets and can make changes at any time to reflect your philanthropic and financial goals. And a charitable bequest is deductible for federal estate tax purposes. There are several common forms of charitable bequest:

  • Cash Bequest: Designate a specific amount for The Trustees.
  • Residuary Bequest: Direct all or a percentage of your estate to The Trustees, after payment of cash bequests and estate-related expenses.
  • Bequest of Property: Direct a particular asset, such as real estate, securities, or tangible personal property, such as an antique or valuable art object, to The Trustees.
  • Testamentary Trusts: Provide income for a spouse or other family member for life or a term of years, after which the remaining assets will pass to The Trustees.

Things to know about bequests:

  • Tax laws grant an unlimited estate tax deduction, so you may be able to significantly reduce your taxable estate when you make a charitable bequest.
  • Bequests may be made through a gift of cash, marketable securities, closely held stock, or real estate.

How to Make a Charitable Bequest:

  • Include California Autism Foundation in your Will or testamentary trust, or add a codicil to an existing Will or trust.
  • To name California Autism Foundation as a beneficiary in your Will, please designate as follows:

    “California Autism Foundation, a 501©3 a nonprofit corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the State California, with its principal place of business address located at 4138 Lakeside Drive, Richmond, CA 94806, ID # 68-0149447.”

  • Indicate whether the gift is for an existing dollar amount, a percentage of the estate or a residue of the estate after all the other beneficiaries have been provided for.
  • Specify where you would like your gift designated: (1) General Operating budget (2) a specific program (3) Where most need exists
  • Consult with your attorney or financial advisor before making provisions in your will or adding a codicil to your will for a charitable gift.

California Autism Foundation is a California 501(c)3 non-profit organization. ID# 68-0149447.