Annual Appeal 2026

The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library has been able to pursue its mission for over 120 years thanks to several generations of generous donors. Gifts to the Library Association of La Jolla, the 501(c)(3), tax-exempt charity that is the Athenaeum’s legal parent, will help to ensure the Athenaeum’s future and to maintain the high quality of its offerings to the community.

Donors may direct their gifts to support certain programs, for example, Collections, Exhibitions, Chamber Music, or Jazz; or for new programs; or to be used at the discretion of the Executive Director for general operations. For additional information on the various opportunities, please contact the Executive Director.

The purpose of this document is to describe several ways to make a gift to the Athenaeum as a charitable contribution that may have various advantages for the donor, particularly with regard to income tax deductions. Generally, gifts to the Athenaeum are deductible from income tax to the full extent of the law, although there are a few exceptions.

Ways to give include making a Qualified Charitable Distribution from an IRA account, a transfer of appreciated stock, a cash gift by check or credit card, a distribution from a Donor Advised Fund, and various types of deferred gifts. Please consult your financial advisor or tax accountant to see how one or more of the following mechanisms may be beneficial for you.

Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) If a person has an IRA account and is over 70 ½, a gift directly to a charity under the QCD rules may have certain advantages for the donor. The amount distributed counts toward the Required Minimum Distribution (required beginning at age 72), but it is not counted as income for tax purposes. Thus the donor may avoid being in a higher income tax bracket or a phaseout of other tax deductions. However, the gift is not deductible from income tax as a charitable contribution. An individual may make QCDs of up to a total of $100,000 each tax year.

Transfer of Appreciated Stock Giving publicly traded stock, rather than selling it and donating the proceeds, means that the donor does not have to pay capital gains tax on the stock. In most cases, capital gains tax rates currently are about 15% of the gain. Importantly, the full market value of the donated stock is tax-deductible as a charitable contribution. Contact the Executive Director for specific stock transfer instructions.

Check or Credit Card A cash gift by check or credit card is generally tax-deductible, less the value of goods or services received, if any. Many donors add the credit card processing fee to their gift to give the maximum benefit for the Athenaeum.

Donor Advised Fund Recommend a grant from your Donor Advised Fund to the Athenaeum, either on a one-time or continuing basis.

Pledge The Athenaeum counts an irrevocable pledge to give as income at the time the pledge is made, as required by current accounting rules. Recording the income may help the Athenaeum with regard to certain grant requests, for example. However, the donor can only deduct the amounts as a charitable contribution as they are paid.

Deferred Giving There are quite a number of ways to support the Athenaeum through a deferred or planned gift. They include beneficiary provisions in a will, trust, retirement plan, or life insurance policy, as well as a variety of life income arrangements. Consult your advisors for the particular methods that are most applicable in your circumstances. Please notify the Athenaeum’s Executive Director if such arrangements have been made so they may be properly acknowledged.

Other Assets Other assets, such as units of a limited partnership, non-publicly traded corporate stock, or life insurance policies, may be contributed to the Athenaeum. The Athenaeum currently does not accept gifts of vehicles. For further information, consult the Executive Director and your tax advisor.

The Library Association of La Jolla does not give legal, financial, or tax advice. Please consult your own advisors in connection with contribution and financial planning matters.