Contribute to the Metropolitan Museum's future by planning for a special kind of gift. Although cash contributions to the Metropolitan are always appreciated, there are other creative and flexible options that can benefit you and the Museum. You can help ensure the Metropolitan's future by creating a trust while you are living or by including the Museum in your will.
- Appreciated securities are an excellent way of funding many of these gifts, often unlocking greater income while eliminating, or at least reducing, capital gains tax. (See the Planned Giving Glossary for a definition of the capital gains tax and other relevant terms.)
- Donors who contribute through a planned gift or make a provision for the Museum in their estate plans are eligible to join The William Society.
- Our Flickr collection includes photos from recent William Society events.
IRA Rollover provision extended through 2013
Friends of the Met who are 70 1/2 or older can use their IRAs to make a gift of up to $100,000 to the Museum without reporting the withdrawal as taxable income. Distributions must be made by December 31, 2013.
The Museum is prohibited from providing Membership or any goods and services in return for these gifts.
This option may be most useful for donors who:
- Must make a required minimum distribution from their IRA but do not need the income
- Have exceeded their ability to claim an income tax deduction
- Do not itemize their deductions
- May have more of their Social Security income taxed by receiving additional income
For details please call the Planned Giving Program at 212.570.3796 or email us at planned.giving@metmuseum.org. Restrictions apply, so consult with your advisors to determine how such a gift would affect your overall tax and estate planning, as well as the rules pertaining to the state you reside in.
One of the simplest ways to support the Museum's future, a bequest provides a gift for the Metropolitan in your will.
The William Society recognizes and honors those friends and Members of The Metropolitan Museum of Art who have made a commitment to the future of this institution by including the Museum in their estate plans.
An agreement between you and the Metropolitan that provides you with regular fixed payments annually (an annuity) for life in exchange for transferring assets to the Museum.
This agreement between you and a trustee can provide fixed or variable income to meet your specific financial needs, at the termination of which the remaining assets are passed to the Museum.
This arrangement operates somewhat like a mutual fund, accepting gifts from many donors, managing them as a common fund, and providing variable annual income.
This agreement between you and a trustee provides income to the Metropolitan for a period of years, at the end of which the trust property typically passes to an heir.
Retirement, life insurance, and real estate assets may all be donated to the Museum.
Our Planned Giving Calculator illustrates the income and tax benefits to which you may be entitled if you make a planned gift to benefit the Metropolitan.
This glossary includes financial terms that may be helpful as you plan your gift to the Museum.
