Ways to Give

Give online by credit card using our secure donation form.

Or give by mail by sending your check payable to VCFA to:

Vermont College of Fine Arts
Office of Institutional Advancement
36 College Street
Montpelier, VT 05602

Join our MFA Society by becoming a Monthly Funder of the Arts and providing consistent support to VCFA. The MFA Society offers flexible, personalized donation opportunities so donors can establish automatic monthly gifts with the college and create a system of giving that works for them. It’s easy to budget, renews automatically, and is paperless!

How does it work?

1. You can donate by credit card online here.
2. You determine the amount and frequency of your donation.
3. We’ll charge your gift to your credit card at the predetermined interval. (Charges are made on or around the same date each period.)
4. We’ll send you an email confirming the charge.
5. We’ll send you an annual statement that can be used for tax purposes.
6. Your gift will automatically renew each year.

Help your gift go further by having your employer match your gift to Vermont College of Fine Arts. Many companies match charitable gifts made by their employees, doubling or even tripling the value of your donation. Some companies even match gifts made by employees’ spouses or retirees.

How does it work?

Request a matching gift form from your employer, complete it, and send it along with your gift to:

Vermont College of Fine Arts
Office of Institutional Advancement
36 College Street
Montpelier, VT 05602

If you make your gift online, your form can be emailed to [email protected].

The transfer of appreciated securities to VCFA is a wonderful way to expand the amount you can afford to donate while providing tax-saving advantages. You get a tax deduction for the gift, and you avoid paying any capital gains tax on the increase in value of the stock.

When you donate securities, you can deduct the “fair market value,” which is the average of the highest and lowest trading price on the day you make the transfer.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you purchased 10 shares of stock 10 years ago for only $500. Today, that same stock is worth $10,000. An outright gift of the stock to VCFA would result in a charitable contribution deduction of $10,000. There is no tax on the $9,500 appreciated value.

The tax deduction for appreciated securities owned for less than one year is limited to your cost basis or the stock’s fair market value, whichever is less.

We recommend the completion of a stock power form. In many cases you will be required to have your signature guaranteed by a medallion signature guarantee. This can be obtained at a commercial bank or trust company having a New York correspondent. Most major banks will provide this service. Notarization is not sufficient.

Ask your broker for assistance if your shares are held in a brokerage account.

How does it work?

Notify VCFA

Office of Institutional Advancement
Vermont College of Fine Arts
36 College Street
Montpelier, VT 05602
[email protected]

Work with your Broker

Please provide the following VCFA brokerage account information to your broker:

• DTC Eligible Securities:
• DTC Clearing # 0075
• For Further Credit to LPL Account # 5630-3516
• Fur Further Credit to Account Name: Vermont College of Fine Arts

Joseph P. Preddy will work with your broker to answer transfer questions. His contact information is: 802-479-0645, toll free 877-334-1677, fax 802-479-0562, email [email protected].

The date of the gift is the date of receipt into the VCFA account. The valuation of the gift is the average of the reported high and low on the date of the gift. Vermont College of Fine Arts is responsible for notifying the donor of the transaction.

Gift Annuity

A charitable gift annuity can be established with the transfer of cash or property in exchange for fixed annuity payments to one or two life annuitants. This option is an attractive way to make a gift and retain a fixed income for the life of the beneficiary. Rates vary depending on the age of the beneficiary. A charitable gift annuity is considered a general obligation of the issuing charitable organization. Charitable gift annuities, therefore, take on many of the same characteristics as commercial annuities with the issuing charity acting as the insurer. VCFA has partnered with the Vermont Community Foundation to offer charitable gift annuities which are backed by all the assets of the Foundation, currently in excess of $150,000,000.

Charitable Remainder Trusts

These larger, separately managed trusts pay either fixed income or a percentage of the market value of the trust, which is valued annually. They may run for a lifetime or for a term of years.

If you can benefit from the income generated by the property, a charitable remainder trust may provide a good solution. The property is irrevocably transferred into a trust which pays income to you for life or a term of years. After that, the remaining principal goes to support VCFA. Additional benefits include a substantial income tax deduction in the year the trust is established and no capital gains tax at the time of the gift.

Charitable Lead Trusts

Charitable lead trusts differ from charitable remainder trusts in that payments are made to VCFA for a specified period of time. At the end of this period, the assets are transferred back to you or your named beneficiary.

Gift of Life Tenancy

You may make a gift of a personal residence, second home, or farm to VCFA while retaining the right to occupy the premises during your lifetime. Your spouse can retain the same right. A gift of life tenancy allows you to claim an immediate income tax deduction for a portion of the appraised value of the property.

If you own an IRA and are over age 70½, you may transfer up to $100,000 directly from your IRA to Vermont College of Fine Arts without claiming the income; however, you cannot claim the deduction, either. Conversely, you can claim the charitable deduction if you claim the IRA distribution as income. We recommend that you contact your IRA Custodian and your financial advisor for more information regarding your specific details on this tax wise way to make charitable gifts.

Personal Property

Many people have tangible personal property of some value and often would like to donate it: works of art, antiques, jewelry, rare books, or other collections (coins or cars, for example). VCFA may be an excellent recipient of your gift of personal property. We ask that you contact us to discuss this before making the donation, to be certain we can accept your gift. You will be responsible for an outside appraisal of any property valued over $5000.

Real Property/Estate

Donating marketable real estate such as a personal residence or vacation home, commercial property, or vacant land, can be a creative way to make a significant gift to VCFA and at the same time realize important tax benefits and even income.

A gift of real estate can also relieve you of the burden of managing or selling the property. Your benefits from an outright gift of real estate include an income tax deduction for the property’s full fair market value and removal of the property from your estate. VCFA may be an excellent recipient of your gift of real estate property. We ask that you contact us to discuss this before making the donation, to be certain we can accept your gift. You will be responsible for an outside appraisal of any property valued over $5000.

Depending on your circumstances and anticipated future needs, you can donate real estate using any one of a variety of mechanisms.

Partial Interest Gift

If you are unable to donate the entire property, you may deed an undivided partial interest to VCFA, or a charitable remainder trust may be funded with such a partial interest. In both instances it is likely that the entire property will be sold, with the proceeds being shared proportionally between you (or your trust) and VCFA. Your charitable deduction for the gift portion may help offset the capital gains tax on your retained portion.

Retained Life Estate

You can give VCFA your personal residence, and still retain the right to live in it for your lifetime. A retained life estate will enable you to take an income tax deduction in the year you make the gift. VCFA would work with you and your advisor to establish arrangements for this plan.

VCFA staff and faculty may donate through payroll deduction by completing this form.