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Planned Giving

Many friends of Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum have chosen to make a commitment to the future of the Museum by including Cooper-Hewitt in their will or by making another special gift arrangement. There are many giving options from which you can choose—ultimately, the best plan for you will balance what you wish to accomplish for yourself, your family, and your charitable interests in your overall estate and financial plans. Here are some of the ways you may wish to consider contributing to Cooper-Hewitt:

Objective

Strategy

Benefits
Maximize your deduction now with a simple gift.
Use cash to make your gift to Cooper-Hewitt.
Claim your deduction against your adjusted gross income and make an immediate impact on Cooper-Hewitt's programs.
Afford a larger gift to Cooper-Hewitt now—and pay no capital gains.
Give appreciated stock or bonds held for one year or longer.
A gift that costs you less than the benefit it delivers to us, while paying no capital gains tax.
Make a gift for Cooper-Hewitt's future that doesn't affect your cash flow or portfolio now.
Include a bequest in your will (cash, specific property, or a share of the estate residue).
A gift that costs you nothing today and will benefit your estate in the future with a tax deduction.
Retain income benefits from the assets you give to Cooper-Hewitt—thus afford a larger gift.
Receive income for your lifetime and receive a charitable deduction.
Reduce high tax liability now; gain additional income later.
Establish a deferred gift annuity.
A larger deduction and a higher income rate than other life-income gifts offer.
Reduce gift and estate taxes and control the timing of passing assets to your children and grandchildren.
Create a charitable lead trust to support programs at Cooper-Hewitt for a fixed, finite period, with the principal going to your heirs after the trust terminates.
Reduces gift and estate taxes, and freezes the taxable value of growing assets before they pass to your family.
Establish a named endowment fund in honor of a family member from income rather than capital.
Create a new life insurance policy, or donate a paid-up policy whose coverage you no longer need.
Increases your ability to make a significant gift to Cooper-Hewitt.
Locate an overlooked asset that you can easily give to Cooper-Hewitt.
Name Cooper-Hewitt as beneficiary of a retirement fund.
Eliminates income and estate taxes on retirement plan assets; frees other property to pass to your heirs.
If you have already made plans to include a bequest to Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum or would like assistance in planning your gift to the Museum, please contact Julie Barnes at 212.849.8322 or barnesjulie@si.edu. We want to be able to thank you for your generosity and ensure that we are able to accommodate your wishes. All information will be held in the strictest confidence.

The purpose of this web page is to provide information of a general nature only. Advice from your own legal and tax counsel should be sought when considering any gift arrangement.

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Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum: 2 East 91st Street New York, NY 10128; 212.849.8400