DonateYour Support Sustains the Stevens & Smith Center

Make your gift count twice! Many businesses will match the gifts their employees make to non-profit organizations. Check with your Human Resources department to learn more about whether your employer will match your gift to LancasterHistory.

LancasterHistory is proud to be a newly-approved EITC-eligible nonprofit under Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program!

Your company’s EITC-eligible contribution directly supports powerful learning experiences like:

• Tours of President James Buchanan’s Wheatland;
• Interactive hands-on workshops for kids and families;
• Civic education at the Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy; and
• Expanding horizons through virtual learning.

Together, we can inspire curiosity, civic engagement, and a love for history for future generations—while giving your company the benefit of a state tax credit.

How to Apply
The EITC program includes Educational Improvement Organizations, as well as Scholarship Organizations and Pre-Kindergarten Scholarship Organizations. LancasterHistory is an Educational Improvement Organization (EIO), and businesses must apply specifically for EIO credits if they are interested in supporting LancasterHistory. Businesses may also apply for the other types of credits, but the total amount can be no more than $750,000.

Entities eligible to participate include:

• C Corporations
• S Corporations
• Limited Liability Corporations
• Partnerships
• Limited Liability Partnerships
• Sole Proprietorships

All businesses are required to submit applications electronically through dced.pa.gov. Businesses renewing a two-year commitment may apply beginning May 15. New businesses may apply beginning July 1. Applications are approved on a first-come, first-served basis by date submitted. Last year, credits were fully exhausted within one week.

For complete details on participation in the EITC program and the approval process through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, please click here.

For more information about LancasterHistory or to talk to someone about supporting LancasterHistory through EITC, please contact Erin Sell, Director of Development, at erin.sell@lancasterhistory.org or 717.392.4633, ext. 141.

Donating appreciated stock is a tax-smart way to support LancasterHistory. If you give securities you have owned for more than one year, you may receive two key tax benefits:

• A federal income tax deduction based on the stock’s current fair market value
• No capital gains tax on the increase in value

Most stock gifts can be transferred easily and securely through your broker.

To make a gift of stock:

• Ask your broker to electronically transfer your shares
• Have your broker notify LancasterHistory once the transfer is complete
• If you hold physical stock certificates, you may hand-deliver them to LancasterHistory, or mail the certificates and stock power in separate envelopes for security

For assistance, your broker may contact Erin Sell at 717.392.4633 ext. 141.

Know someone who loves Lancaster’s history? Make a gift in their honor! Tribute gifts are a meaningful and unique way to recognize someone dear to you or memorialize the passing of a loved one. Donations to LancasterHistory in lieu of gifts for your wedding or other celebration are also welcomed. Tribute gifts can be made by calling Erin Sell at 717.392.4633, ext. 141.

Members of LancasterHistory enjoy a variety of benefits such as complimentary general admission, shopping discounts, special invitations, and much more! A variety of levels are also available to fit your family size and your budget all while helping preserve Lancaster County’s history for future generations.

To learn more about our membership benefits and levels, please visit our Membership page to learn more and join today.

As a strong supporter of LancasterHistory and the Stevens & Smith Center, your annual contribution—whether through membership, the Annual Campaign, or support of a specific project or event—makes a difference. Yet while 90% of us make a gift to organizations like LancasterHistory, only 7% of us make a provision to keep our giving going through our will or estate plan.

If you would like to extend your support of LancasterHistory–and therefore the Stevens & Smith Center–to make a perpetual and lasting impact, consider leaving a legacy through a planned gift. Donors who contribute through a planned gift or make a provision for LancasterHistory in their estate plans are eligible to join the 1729 Society.

Many supporters contribute to LancasterHistory each year through Membership, the Annual Campaign, or special projects. Yet while nearly 90% of people make charitable donations during their lifetime, only about 7% continue that support through their will or estate plan.

By including LancasterHistory—and the Stevens & Smith Center—in your estate plans, you can create a lasting impact that supports our mission for generations to come. Donors who make a planned gift or include LancasterHistory in their estate plans are invited to join the 1729 Society.

What Is Legacy Giving?

Legacy giving, also known as planned giving, allows you to support LancasterHistory through your will, living trust, retirement account, or life insurance policy.

A planned gift may include:

• A specific dollar amount
• Assets such as securities, real estate, or personal property
• All or a percentage of the remainder of your estate
• Support for a specific fund, program, or the general mission of LancasterHistory

Planned gifts may also qualify your estate for an unlimited federal estate tax charitable deduction.

There is no minimum amount for a planned gift. Whether large or small, your gift helps sustain LancasterHistory and the Stevens & Smith Center well into the future.

If you wish to include LancasterHistory in your will or estate plan, please contact Robin Sarratt, President & CEO, at 717.392.4633, ext. 117 or robin.sarratt@lancasterhistory.org.

As per the Internal Revenue Service, individual retirement arrangement (IRA) owners age 70½ or over can transfer up to $105,000 to charity tax-free each year.

These transfers, known as qualified charitable distributions or QCDs, offer eligible older Americans a great way to easily give to charity before the end of the year. And, for those who are at least 73 years old, QCDs count toward the IRA owner’s required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year. (Source)

If you are interested in making a QCD towards LancasterHistory or the Stevens & Smith Center, please review the following FAQ.

Common Q&As:

Q: From which accounts can I make transfers?
A: Transfers must come from your IRA, made payable to LancasterHistory. If you intend your gift for the Stevens & Smith Center capital campaign, please include that information. 401(k), 403(b), and other retirement plans do not qualify. Ask your advisor about transferring funds from these other accounts to an IRA.

Q: How do I make my gift?
A: Contact your IRA custodian and follow their procedures to request a “Qualified Charitable Distribution.” The check should be accompanied by your name and address information for you to receive a written acknowledgment from us. Please provide the recipient information below to your IRA custodian, along with our Tax ID# 23-1365154. You may direct your check, drawn on your IRA account and made payable to LancasterHistory to:

LancasterHistory
230 N. President Avenue
Lancaster, PA 17603

Q: Can I deposit my IRA withdrawal in my personal, non-IRA account, and then write a check from that account?
A: No, the funds must be transferred directly from your IRA. If not, you must report the withdrawal as taxable income.

Q: My IRA custodian wants to mail a check directly to the charity. Is that allowed?
A: Yes, many custodians will mail a check directly to the charity. However, so that we may provide you with a written acknowledgment, it’s important for you to instruct your custodian to include your name and address.

Q: Do I need to notify LancasterHistory about my QCD?
A: It is not required that you do so. However, if you would like to let us know, you may reach us at 717.392.4633, ext 141 or erin.sell@lancasterhistory.org. Please be prepared with:

• Gift amount
• Your name and address
• Name of the financial institution sending your gift

Q: Will I receive a gift acknowledgement?
A: We will mail an acknowledgment to you if your name and address are provided along with the check or if you notify us about your gift at 717.392.4633, ext 141 or erin.sell@lancasterhistory.org.

Q: What are the tax implications?
A: Federal: The transfer is not recognized as a taxable withdrawal from your IRA, and does not afford you an income tax charitable deduction. State: Tax laws vary by state. Some states have a state income tax and will include the transfer as income. Of those, some will allow for a state income tax charitable deduction and others will not. Other states base their state income tax on the federal income or federal tax paid.

Q: Can I use a QCD to fund a charitable gift annuity?
A: Under certain circumstances, you may be eligible to fund a charitable gift annuity with a QCD. Please contact the Development Department at 717.392.4633, ext 141 for more information.

Q: I have other questions. Who do I contact?
A: Please contact us at erin.sell@lancasterhistory.org or robin.sarratt@lancasterhistory.org or 717.392.4633, ext 141.

Here in Lancaster County, our history is all around us—in our businesses and churches, in our neighborhoods and across our farmlands. As a sponsor and partner with LancasterHistory, your business will play an active role in preserving the legacy of this place we call home for future generations, while providing authentic educational experiences for the residents of Lancaster today.

If you’d like to see how your business or organization can help sponsor a LancasterHistory or Stevens & Smith event or program, please contact Annie Weeks, Development & Events Manager, at 717.392.4633, ext. 134 or annie.weeks@lancasterhistory.org.