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The Community Foundation of Des Moines County can accept a range of gifts.  See below for a list of what we can accept.

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Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash, usually in the form of a check or credit card, is a convenient way to give. If you itemize your deductions on your federal income tax return, you may take a charitable gift deduction for the amount of your gift. If you give your gift to an endowed fund that supports a nonprofit in Iowa, you may be eligible to receive the Endow Iowa Tax Credit. If you can’t take the entire deduction in the first year, you may carry the balance forward into the next five years. When savings bonds, certificates of deposit and other ordinary income assets are gifted to the Community Foundation of Des Moines County, you will not have to pay tax on the gain in those assets. You can name the Community Foundation of Des Moines County as the primary beneficiary, contingent beneficiary or as a partial beneficiary.

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Memorials and Honors

Gifts can be made in memory or honor of a loved one, or to commemorate a special milestone or event. The gifts can be made to an existing fund or you may choose to establish a special fund. Otherwise the gifts are directed to the The Grant Fund Endowment to support grants in the Tri-State Area.

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Securities

You can transfer ownership of appreciated securities (stocks, bonds or mutual funds) owned for at least one year to the Community Foundation of Des Moines County. You will receive a deduction for the average value of the security on the day of the transfer. When you contribute long-term appreciated securities to the Community Foundation of Des Moines County, you have two options:

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1. Sell the securities and contribute the proceeds to the Community Foundation of Des Moines County (and pay any associated capital gains tax). 

2. Contribute the securities directly to the Community Foundation of Des Moines County – we receive the full proceeds from the sale, and you avoid capital gains tax. The full proceeds from the sale of the shares may be placed in your named fund or any named fund at the Community Foundation for charitable giving purposes. You may claim a charitable income tax deduction in the year in which the gift is made. If you can’t deduct the full fair market value of the gift in the first year, you may carry the balance forward for the next five years. If the securities have been owned less than one year, the charitable deduction is based on your cost basis in the security.

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Property

The Community Foundation of Des Moines County will consider the acceptance of personal property on a case by case basis and all such contributions must be approved by the Board. In making a decision, The Community Foundation of Des Moines County will consider the difficulty and expense of selling the items, the expertise required to sell the items, issues of storage interim to sale, and the general overall benefit to the Community Foundation of Des Moines County.

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Gifts of Grain

Donating a gift of grain to the Community Foundation of Des Moines County is a simple way to make a lasting difference. The value of the grain can be used to start an endowed fund in the name of your family, for a specific Iowa nonprofit organization, or for The Grant Endowment Fund to meet ongoing community needs. By giving grain to the Community Foundation of Des Moines County, you avoid including the sale of the grain in your farm income. Although a charitable income tax deduction is generally not available to you, the avoidance of declaring it as income, and the possibility of a 25 percent Endow Iowa Tax Credit, are significant benefits. You can deduct the cost of growing the crops, which typically results in saving self-employment tax, federal income tax and state income tax. You can benefit even if you don’t itemize your deductions and take the standard deduction.