Donate
Thank you for supporting the Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation (LAAF). By making a tax-deductible donation (nonprofit tax ID #95-1582650), you will be contributing to an improved quality of life, increased science literacy and an enhanced appreciation for the natural world.
Donate Online
It’s easy to support the Arboretum by making a gift online using your MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover card.
Donate by Mail
We welcome your cards and letters to us! You can mail a check to:
Development Office
Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation
301 N. Baldwin Ave.
Arcadia, CA 91007
Giving Through Your IRA Account
For older IRA owners facing their annual required minimum distribution (RMD) obligations, there is a more tax-efficient means to do charitable giving to nonprofit organizations like the Arboretum Foundation. It is called a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). Did you know you can transfer up to $105,000 to charity tax-free each year — even if that’s more than your RMD? The money counts as your RMD but isn’t included in your adjusted gross income and can offer other benefits such as reduced Medicare premiums and/or lower taxes on Social Security benefits. Funds need to be transferred directly from the IRA administrator to the nonprofit for it to count as a tax-free transfer.
Note: Donors who don’t have to begin taking their RMD until age 73 are still eligible to make a QCD and may prefer to give through their IRAs for tax savings, particularly if they are unable to itemize deductions on their income tax return.
Giving through a Donor-Advised Fund
Individuals who support the Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation can recommend grants through their Donor-Advised Fund (DAF). A DAF allows you to combine the most favorable tax benefits with the flexibility to easily support the Arboretum Foundation. DAFs can be established with an irrevocable charitable contribution of cash, appreciated securities, and other assets. You receive your charitable tax deduction when the DAF is established, and then recommend grants from your DAF account over time to any qualified nonprofit. DAFs may be established and administered through for-profit companies such as Fidelity or Schwab Charitable or through nonprofits like local community foundations. Either way, please consider recommending the LA Arboretum Foundation as an organization to support through your DAF.
Gifts of Long-Term Appreciated Securities
A gift of appreciated securities is one of the most tax-efficient ways to support the LA Arboretum Foundation. Such a gift offers you two distinct tax advantages: avoiding capital gains tax on the increased value of the stock, while also providing a charitable deduction for its full fair-market value when the stock is donated. Our Development Office can provide the Arboretum Foundation’s account information for an electronic transfer.
Plan Your Donation
You may find that a planned gift will allow you to make a more substantial contribution to the Arboretum than you may have thought possible. A planned gift can have major tax advantages for you and your loved ones. For a few examples of planned gifts, click here
Estate Gifts
By naming the Arboretum as a beneficiary in your estate plans through a will, trust, retirement plan, or insurance policy, you help sustain the gardens for future generations.
Match Your Donation
Many employers will match your donations to the Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation dollar-for-dollar, including monthly pledges. Simply request a matching gift form from your company’s human resources office and fill it out to initiate the match. For information, contact Ivonne Escobedo, Membership Manager at 626.821.3233 or ivonne.escobedo@arboretum.org.
Give to the Arboretum Library
New or used books and other reading materials are always welcome. Donations that do not fit into our collection or duplicate items we already own are sold at the Library’s Book Sales to raise funds for new purchases. When a book is donated to the library a special arboretum bookplate with the donor’s name will be included within the book
Donations made to the Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation L.A.A.F (Tax ID# 95-1582650) are tax-deductible as allowed by law. You will receive a receipt for your donation.
Please seek legal or financial advice for any specific tax- or estate-planning questions. For assistance in making a gift to the Arboretum, please call the Arboretum Development Office at 626-821-3237.
Thank You!