Make an Impact with Your IRA
Are you an IRA owner age 70½ or older exploring gift options to support our work? You might want to think about using your IRA to fulfill your charitable goals. This unique giving option allows for tax-free distributions that count toward your required minimum distribution (RMD) if one is due!
A gift from your IRA is called a qualified charitable distribution (QCD), and it comes in two forms.
OPTION 1: An outright QCD
This is a distribution directly from your IRA to us (or any qualified charitable organization). Normal IRA distributions are taxed as regular income, but a QCD is tax free up to $108,000 (the annual aggregate limit for 2025). This tax-free distribution does not qualify for an income tax deduction, but it does count toward your RMD if one is due.
This easy, tax-efficient gift makes a vital and immediate impact on our organization, and you can give this way every year if you wish!
OPTION 2: A life income QCD
This newer type of QCD allows you to make a one-time, tax-free distribution from your IRA to create a new charitable remainder trust (CRT) or charitable gift annuity (CGA). This is useful if you’d like to use retirement assets to fulfill charitable goals and create a lifetime income stream for yourself and/or your spouse.
This QCD is limited to $54,000 in 2025, but spouses can combine distributions from their individual IRAs (up to a total of $108,000 in 2025) to create a single CRT or a joint-life CGA. It provides a unique opportunity to make a charitable impact and secure a lifetime income to supplement other forms of retirement income.
Note that the rules for a CRT or CGA created with a QCD differ somewhat from the rules for regular CRTs and CGAs.
Ask us for more information! We’re happy to start a conversation to help you explore whether this gift fits your current situation, plans, and goals. Or click here to read more about using your IRA to make a charitable gift that supports our work.