Support Farm Sanctuary with a gift that fits your financial and tax planning needs. Cash gifts and Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from an IRA offer flexible, tax-efficient ways to contribute to our mission, each with unique benefits.

Option 1: Cash Gift

A cash gift is a straightforward way to support Farm Sanctuary. A cash gift typically is deductible from your income tax and can be an excellent way to make an immediate impact on the programs you care about.

  • Immediate Tax Deduction: You can claim an income tax charitable deduction in the year of your gift for the full amount of your cash gift, subject to IRS limitations. You may carry forward any unused deduction for up to five additional years.
  • Flexible and Easy: You can make a cash gift as a one-time donation or set up recurring contributions, whichever best achieves your goals.
  • Direct Impact: Cash donations provide immediate funding for Farm Sanctuary’s programs.

Option 2: Qualified Charitable Distribution from Your IRA

A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), sometimes called an “IRA Charitable Rollover,” is a tax-smart way to support Farm Sanctuary directly from your IRA.

Benefits

  • Avoid Additional Taxable Income: Unlike regular IRA withdrawals, which are taxable, a QCD allows you to avoid income tax on your gift. This is especially valuable if you are looking to reduce your tax burden in retirement.
  • Satisfy Your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD): A QCD counts toward your annual RMD, making it a smart choice if you are 73 or older and want to meet IRS requirements while supporting a cause you care about.
  • No Need to Itemize: Even if you do not itemize deductions on your tax return, you can still take full advantage of a QCD’s tax benefits.
  • Direct Your Impact: You may designate your gift toward a specific program or area of interest within Farm Sanctuary.

How to Qualify

To benefit from a QCD, please ensure that you meet these requirements:

  • Age: You must be 70½ or older at the time of your gift.
  • Direct Transfer: The funds must go directly from your IRA to Farm Sanctuary.
  • Annual Limit: For 2025, your QCD gifts are capped at $108,000.
  • Traditional IRA or Inherited IRA: Your QCD gifts must be from a traditional or inherited IRA (inactive SIMPLE IRAs and inactive SEPs are also eligible).

What is a Required Minimum Distribution?

When you are age 73 or older, you must take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from your IRA each year. You must include your RMD in your taxable income, which increases your income tax and may have other tax effects, such as increasing the cost of your Medicare insurance. The fraction of your IRA balance that you must withdraw increases each year.

How to Get Started

  • To Make a Cash Gift: You can donate online, by check, or set up a recurring gift through our website.
  • To Arrange a QCD: Contact your IRA administrator and request a Qualified Charitable Distribution to Farm Sanctuary. This ensures that your distribution is sent tax-free to us. Be sure to let us know your plans, so we can assist and acknowledge your gift.

Consult with Your Advisors

We encourage you to consult your financial and tax advisors to maximize the benefits of your cash gifts and QCDs. Both options provide meaningful ways to support a mission you care about while offering potential tax advantages.

Thank you for considering a generous gift to help sustain Farm Sanctuary.

How Your Gift Helps

Your gift will help us fulfill our mission on behalf of billions of farm animals... each one an individual with feelings no different than your beloved cat or dog. Making a planned gift will help us...

Visitor poses with sheep resident Visitor smiles at donkey resident Visitor next to cow resident
Educate millions of people about the effects of factory farming on our health and environment; Advocate to create protections for farm animals, and promote compassionate vegan living; And rescue farm animals from cruelty and neglect, allowing them to live in the peace and joy of sanctuary.