Ways To Give
Your Gift, Collective Good
There are many ways to give—and we’re here to help you find the one that works best for you. At DuPage Foundation, we offer flexible, tax-wise, giving options to help you make a meaningful impact, locally and beyond. Whether you’re starting a fund or adding to an existing one, you can contribute a variety of assets to support the causes you care about.
Giving Options
Below are some of the most common types of assets you can contribute to support your charitable goals. Consider calling our team to learn more.
Cash
Make a simple, tax-deductible gift that qualifies for the maximum allowable income tax deduction.
Stock, Mutual Funds, and Other Securities
Donate appreciated assets like stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other types of marketable securities and avoid capital gains tax while qualifying for a charitable deduction.
Real Estate
Give real estate at its current value to qualify for a charitable deduction and avoid capital gains on its appreciation. Real estate gifts must be initiated by September to guarantee their completion by the end of the calendar year.
IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)
For donors 70 ½ or older, contribute from your IRA or other qualified retirement accounts through Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs). Donors 73 or older can use QCDs to reduce your Required Minimum Distribution. Learn more about QCDs by clicking here.
Business Interests
Donate interests in private companies or partnerships for a highly tax-efficient gift with potential capital gains savings.
Private Foundation Grants and Transfers
Convert your private foundation into a donor-advised fund at DuPage Foundation for a simpler, more cost-effective option. Donor-advised funds are also great tools for private foundations looking to sunset into a lower-maintenance option, enjoy more favorable tax treatment and anonymity, or benefit from the expertise of our program staff.
Other Assets
Consider contacting DuPage Foundation about other valuable assets like art, coins, crypto, and more.
How to Create a Fund
Starting a fund with us is a meaningful way to support the causes you care about, locally and beyond, and create lasting impact in your community. We make the process easy by helping you define your goals, select the fund type that fits, and set up a simple agreement to get started. You bring the vision, and we’ll help you make it happen.
Planned Gifts & Legacy Society
Planned gifts are a meaningful way to support the causes you care about, now and for generations to come. Through a will, trust, retirement account, life insurance policy, or another giving option, you can reduce your taxes and create lasting impact in your community and beyond.
At DuPage Foundation, we’ll help you choose the giving path that fits your goals. You can invest in our DuPage Forever Fund, contribute to a field-of-interest fund, support our sustainability, or start a fund of your own.
By planning a gift, you are welcomed into our Legacy Society, a special group of donors helping to shape the future of DuPage County.
Ways to Make a Planned Gift
- Giving through a Will or Trust
Include DuPage Foundation in your will or trust to leave a gift of cash, securities, property, or a portion of your estate. - Charitable Gift Annuities
Make a gift and receive guaranteed fixed payments for life or a set term, with possible tax advantages. - Retirement Plan Gifts
Name DuPage Foundation as a beneficiary of your IRA or other retirement plan to reduce your estate taxes, help your loved ones avoid potential inheritance taxes, and maximize your impact. - Life Insurance Donation
Name the Foundation as a beneficiary or transfer ownership of a policy to turn insurance into lasting community support or support for your favorite causes. - Charitable Trusts
Work with the Foundation and your attorney to establish a Charitable Remainder Trust or Charitable Lead Trust to ensure support for both you or your loved ones and your favorite causes.
Legacy Society
Our Legacy Society honors the generous, forward-thinking individuals and families who have included us in their estate plans to support our shared community and the charitable passions closest to their heart. These planned gifts help create a long-lasting impact and ensure a stronger future for DuPage County and beyond.
You can build your legacy through a will, trust, retirement plan, insurance policy, or other planned gift. We’ll work with you, your loved ones, and advisors to ensure your wishes are documented and will receive, administer, and provide ongoing stewardship of your planned gift to ensure your intentions are honored.
Everyone has the power to leave a legacy. Let us help you create yours.
Illinois Gives
With the Illinois Gives Tax Credit Act, donors can contribute to permanent charitable endowments at Qualified Community Foundations – including DuPage Foundation – and receive a tax credit for 25% of their contributions.
This five-year program, running from 2025-2029, focuses on building permanent community endowments to support Illinois nonprofits. While gifts to donor-advised funds are ineligible, contributions can be made to support or create funds for the following purposes:
- Unrestricted community endowments
- Funds that support grants to nonprofits working in specific interest areas like food insecurity, housing, mental health, education, the arts, the environment, workforce development, and more
- Funds designated to benefit specific Illinois charities
- DuPage Foundation’s Operating Endowment
Private Foundation Grants and Transfers
Managing a private foundation can be time-consuming and costly. Transferring your assets to a donor-advised fund at DuPage Foundation offers a simpler, more flexible option—while preserving your charitable legacy.
We’ll help you continue your foundation’s mission without the administrative burden. You’ll stay focused on your mission, while we handle the details.
Or consider utilizing a side-car donor-advised fund to meet your annual 5% minimum payout requirement, take advantage of better potential deductibility for new gifts, grant anonymously, and work with our programs team to identify opportunities within your giving priorities.
Investment Solutions & Fees
Our experienced Investment Committee, staff, and advisors—including our primary investment partner, Northern Trust—oversee a range of investment strategies tailored to your goals. We’re committed to helping you grow your giving over time while keeping funds available when needed.
Michael Trench
This content is provided for informational purposes only. DuPage Foundation does not provide legal or tax advice and recommends that you consult with your tax and legal advisors and other members of your professional advisor team prior to making a significant charitable gift. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.