Thank you for considering giving to St. Clare of Assisi Catholic School. Your support is greatly appreciated. There are several different ways to give to St. Clare. For questions on any of these ways to give, please contact our Director of Development & Marketing, Michelle Parenti, at (626) 833-5015 or by email at development@stclareparish.com.
Our tuition assistance fund allows students whose families find that they are unable to afford the full tuition, the opportunity to attend. The 2023-2024 tuition rates are as follows:
It is our desire to sustain this fund at a level of $100,000. We do not want to turn anyone away for financial reasons. Our goal is to make this fund available year round to families in need.
We have several special classes at St. Clare. Each one has room for growth and new programs to be added. Our “specials” include: art, music, physical education, Spanish, technology and after-school athletics. If a specific subject taught at St. Clare is close to your heart, we invite you to support and underwrite initiatives within that subject matter.
Our teacher wish list reflects the needs of our teachers that extend beyond items in the budget. We welcome a full or partial donation to any item.
Establishing an endowment can ensure quality education and financial stability for our school. Unrestricted endowments provide income that the school can use in areas of greatest need or opportunity. The school would invest the initial gift and only spend a portion of the average annual investment return. The remaining income is added to the principal. A benefactor who makes an endowment gift today can be confident that it will continue to support its intended purpose in the future.
Planned Giving Opportunities / Matching Gifts
You can strengthen the impact of your contributions through matching gift programs. A matching gift is a gift from an employer that matches an employee’s charitable contribution. A matching gift can double, and in some cases even triple, the amount St. Clare might receive from an individual benefactor. To find out if your employer has such a program, contact a representative of your corporation’s human resources department.
A bequest is a gift made in a will. Bequests help St. Clare pursue its mission. A bequest to St. Clare may be made in the body of your will or it may be added as a codicil so that the entire will does not have to be rewritten.
Cash contributions are deductible as an itemized deduction in the year you make the donation. Excess charitable deductions can be carried forward for up to five additional years.
You can contribute a life insurance policy to us by naming us as either the owner of the policy or simply as the beneficiary. If you name us as owner and beneficiary, you will be entitled to an income tax deduction limited to the lower of the fair market value of the policy or your cost basis in the contract. In addition, if you continue to pay premiums on a policy that we own, you can deduct the future premium payments.
Gifts of Securities, Stocks, Mutual Funds
The best stocks to donate are those that have increased in value, particularly those producing a low yield. In order to preserve tax advantages, it is critical that you give the securities to us rather than liquidate them and give us the proceeds. Appreciated securities – if you donate stock that has risen in value and that you’ve held for more than one year, you pay no capital gains when you make the gift and are entitled to a charitable deduction for the full fair market value of the stock. If you wish to continue investing in a specific stock, you could donate the stock to us and then use cash to purchase new shares, thus increasing. Depreciated securities – if you have stock losses, generally you should not contribute the stock but rather sell the stock yourself to realize the loss for tax purposes. You can then contribute the cash and take a charitable deduction.
Gifts of Closely Held Stock – You may transfer shares of stock in your closely held corporation to St. Clare and take a charitable deduction for the fair market value of the stock.
Mutual funds – a charitable contribution of mutual fund shares can provide the same tax advantage as a gift of appreciated stock. Due to the complexities involved in the transfer of mutual fund shares, we encourage you to begin the giving process well before Dec. 31.
Life income gifts allow you to receive an income as a result of making a charitable gift. Depending upon the type of plan you choose, the payments can be fixed or variable and can be for you or other beneficiaries you choose. Life income gifts entitle you to an immediate income tax deduction, based on the present value of your future gift to us.
Variable Income Stream – the unitrust pays the donor and/or another individual, fixed percentage of the annual fair market value of the trust assets. The trust may pay income for the life of one or two persons, or for a fixed period of time. The payout percentage is agreed upon by St. Clare and the donor at the time the unitrust is created.
Fixed Income Stream – the charitable remainder annuity trust pays the donor and/or another individual a fixed amount a year for life, or for a fixed number of years. The amount is determined by the donor and St. Clare, but must be at least 5 percent of the market value of the trust assets at the time the trust is created. For this reason, one cannot make subsequent additions to the trust.
