The most common way to make a gift is by check. All checks should be made payable to the URI Foundation and mailed to the address provided to the right. To ensure that your gift is used as you wish, please include a note stating your designation preference.
Credit cards, either one-time or through a regularly scheduled automatic charge, are a popular form of payment. A gift made by credit card can be made by phone or on-line. For more information contact Bernadine Sadwin by telephone at 401-874-9032, or by email at bsadwin@foundation.uri.edu.
Gifts of securities, such as stocks, bonds and mutual funds, can provide be a tax-advantaged way to support URI because they can be donated without paying any capital gains taxes. Moreover, if a donor has held such stocks for more than one year, he or she can claim a tax deduction based on the fair market value of the securities-even though they may have been purchased for only a fraction of that amount. Securities held less than one year also can be donated, qualifying for a deduction typically based on what the donor paid for them.
Gifts of securities typically involve publicly traded shares, such as those traded on the major exchanges, over-the-counter, and most common mutual funds. Gifts of privately held stock are also possible.
You may make a gift of securities to the URI Foundation, to The Fund for URI, or to URI Athletics.
Click here for a securities transfer form.
Real estate gifts can be another tax-advantaged way to support URI since they can also be donated without paying any capital gains taxes. Moreover, if a donor has held the property for more than one year, he or she can claim a tax deduction based on its fair market value-even though it may have been purchased for a fraction of that amount. Property held less than one year may also be donated, qualifying for a deduction typically based on what the donor paid for it.
There are a variety ways in which real estate can be donated. It can be used to make an outright gift, allowing an endowment, capital project, or other needs to be funded right away. Or through Planned Giving, it can be used to fund a life income gift, paying the donor, and perhaps others, an income stream for life with the remainder being used to support URI. Also through Planned Giving, donors can contribute a remainder interest in a residence or a farm, enabling them to make a gift to URI today while still living in their house or on their farm for the rest of their lives.
While the requirements to make a real estate gift vary, depending on the type of gift being considered, at least three steps are typically required: an appraisal of the property's value; an assessment of any environmental risks posed by the property; and the preparation of a deed that actually transfers the property.
Gifts of personal property can also provide valuable support to URI. Artwork antiques, books, and any other form of property can be important donations to the University, which has a great need for a wide variety of items.
Paintings, sculptures, and antiques beautify the campus and enhance students' artistic appreciation. Books and manuscripts add to the University Library collections. Musical instruments support our various musical programs. Equipment provides laboratories with the needed resources for students to test their knowledge.
The tax benefits for gifts-in-kind can be similar to gifts of money or securities. If the property is used for the University's educational mission, the donor can deduct the property's full fair market value, provided the donor has owned the property for more than a year. Otherwise, the donor can still deduct the property's cost basis, an amount that usually equals the price the donor paid for the property.
The URI Foundation staff will work with you to find a creative way of giving that is beneficial to you, your family, and the University. They have years of experience and are pleased to explore possibilities with donors or with donors' legal or financial advisors.