John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Fellowships to Assist Research and Artistic Creation

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The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fundraising Effort

In 1989, the Guggenheim Foundation decided that rather than spend itself out of existence, as some other foundations do, it would continue its programs well into the 21st century. To do so, it took several steps: it reduced its operating expenses and cut staff, it placed a ceiling on Fellowship spending at the minimum allowed by law, and it sought to raise new funds by making the existing endowment work harder and by seeking donations from trustees, Fellows, and friends. Since 1989, the Foundation has raised more than $8.2 million in donations primarily from trustees, past Fellows, and friends, and it continues to seek new funds from these and others interested in the promotion of research, scholarship, and the creative arts.


Giving to the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation

Fellows and friends can help the Foundation to provide more and larger Fellowship grants in many ways, including a simple pledge of a bequest, an outright gift of cash or securities, or more complex forms of planned giving.

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation is a tax-exempt organization under Section 509(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to the Foundation are eligible for a charitable deduction on your income tax as provided by law. We recommend that you consult your attorney or tax adviser about your individual circumstances when considering a substantial gift. The following are general guidelines.
  • Outright gifts of cash or securities enable you, if you itemize, to take a charitable deduction on your income tax.
  • Gifts of cash are deductible up to 30% of the donor's adjusted income in the year of the gift. A gift in excess of this 30% limitation may be carried forward for up to five additional years within the same limitations of the law. 
  • Gifts of securities are deductible up to 20% of the donor's adjusted income in the year of the gift. A gift in excess of this 20% limitation may be carried forward for up to five additional years within the same limitations of the law.
Donors to private foundations may deduct the fair market value, not just the cost, of publicly traded securities that have risen in value over a period of years. This may allow the donor to avoid paying capital gains tax on these appreciated securities. If you are interested in making a gift of securities, please contact the Foundation for simple instructions.
  • Because the needs of the Foundation are long term, bequests are a thoughtful way to make a substantial contribution. You can use the following simple statement in your will
I hereby give, devise and bequeath The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation the sum of $______, to further the Foundation's objectives and purposes.
  • You can make a residuary bequest, in which you give to the Foundation what remains in your estate after all other bequests and obligations have been fulfilled or you designate a percentage of your residual estate to the Foundation. You may wish to restrict the bequest (say, for Fellowships in neuroscience or in sculpture), but we ask that you add a proviso that if the Trustees of the Foundation were to find such a restriction impractical, they would have the authority to use the bequest for other related purposes. 
  • Lifetime planned gifts provide a way to make a substantial gift to the Guggenheim Foundation. A gift annuity or charitable trust can provide current income, a charitable deduction on your income tax, and possible reductions in estate tax for you, while ultimately helping the Guggenheim Foundation and the Fellows of the future.
We can provide detailed information in a straightforward and timely fashion to assist you and your financial or legal advisers. Please call or write:

Edward Hirsch, President
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
90 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016
(212) 687-4470

Your help, whatever form it takes, will ensure that the Foundation can continue well into the next century to provide the increasingly rare opportunity for individuals to give free rein to the best efforts of their creative minds.


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