Extension takes University research and education into people's lives, engaging Minnesotans to address many of today's complex issues.
When you give to the University of Minnesota Extension, you're helping to build a stronger Minnesota. You can give through a number of options, and we can help tailor a giving plan that matches your personal and financial goals.
Make a gift by check or online
Gifts of any size have an immediate impact. Your generosity helps us meet our most urgent needs and carry out our mission on a daily basis.
We make it quick and easy to support your favorite Extension program or project.
Make a secure gift online
- Minnesota 4-H
- Minnesota 4-H state fair trophies and awards
- Local 4-H programs
- Local Master Gardener programs
- All other Extension programs and priorities
Mail a gift form with credit card information or check
Download the appropriate form for your donation and mail it to the address on the form. You can include memorial or tribute information on the form as well.
Memorials and tributes
There are many ways to give a tribute gift to Extension in honor of a friend or loved one. The easiest way is to make a gift online, and fill out the "Make this gift in honor or memory of someone" section.
If you're unable to give online, send your memorial gift by mail and include tribute information on your gift form. We'll notify the family of your gift if you choose.
Annual giving
The Extension Opportunity Fund (our annual fund) provides critical support that allows Extension to address urgent needs and take advantage of unique opportunities as they arise. The Annual Fund provides the flexibility to support innovative new programs while sustaining our day-to-day operations.
You may also make a recurring (sustaining) gift by completing a simple form (PDF).
Faculty and staff giving
Every day, University and Extension employees see firsthand how gifts are put to use. Faculty and staff giving creates opportunities for Extension teaching and learning, research, and outreach. You can also make a gift through payroll deduction.
IRA charitable rollover
If you are age 70½ or older, you and your spouse can each direct up to $100,000 from your IRA to charity without paying federal income tax on the distribution.
This gift option provides tax savings to donors even if they do not itemize deductions.
- Gifts can be used to satisfy your required minimum distribution (RMD).
- Instead of taking a charitable income tax deduction for the gift, you can exclude the distribution from your income.
- The funds must be transferred directly to the charity—it is important not to withdraw the funds before making a gift.
- To qualify as a charitable distribution in the current tax year, your gift must be completed by December 31.
Making an IRA gift to Extension
Contact your IRA plan administrator and request a direct qualified charitable distribution from your IRA account to the University of Minnesota Foundation.
Mail the check to:
University of Minnesota Foundation
P.O. Box 860266
Minneapolis, MN 55486
Notifying Extension
Please contact the development team to inform us of your gift and let us know the specific program, project, or priority you would like to donate to. We'll work behind the scenes to ensure your gift is directed to the Extension program you wish to support.
Appreciated securities
Gifts of appreciated securities such as stocks, bonds, and mutual fund shares can be a tax-advantaged way to provide support for Extension.
You must have owned the security for more than a year before making your gift. Learn more at UMF's website.
- Avoid capital gains tax on the appreciation that would be due upon sale.
- Receive a charitable income tax deduction for the current fair market value of the property — up to 30 percent of adjusted gross income.
- Carry forward any unclaimed portion of the deduction for up to five additional years, subject to the annual limit.
- To qualify as a charitable distribution in the current tax year, your gift must be completed by December 31.
To transfer shares held with a brokerage firm, provide the following information to your broker.
Account registration: University of Minnesota Foundation
RBC Wealth Management
Account #30875055 DTC #0235
601 Carlson Parkway, Suite 500
Minnetonka, MN 55305 952-476-3741
Notifying Extension
Please contact the development team to inform us of your gift and let us know the specific program, project, or priority you would like to donate to. We'll work behind the scenes to ensure your gift is directed to the Extension program you wish to support. It is helpful if you are able to share:
- Type/number of shares you are transferring
- Approximate date of transfer
Real estate and other property
Make a gift of real estate, tangible personal property, or commodities. Contact the development team for more information.
Real estate can be an attractive asset for donors to use in making a gift to Extension. Donors may wish to give residences, vacation homes, farms, or undeveloped land. In most instances, the University of Minnesota Foundation will sell the property and the proceeds will be used to support an Extension program designated by the donor(s).
Extension is prepared to accept gifts of commodities at any time of the year.
Gifts of commodities may provide significant tax savings, depending on the donor’s individual circumstances. For example, a donor may be able to avoid taxable income from the sale while still deducting the production costs if the commodity is given to the U of M Foundation before it’s sold.
Avoiding taxable income on commodities may reduce self-employment and other taxes while also reducing adjusted gross income.
Gifts of grain are a unique and underused way to make a charitable gift.
Using grain to make a gift to Extension – which may be designated for the purpose or program you choose – can be a wonderful way to invest in the future while achieving tax savings.
Planned gifts
The University of Minnesota Foundation has information on many of the planned, deferred, and estate gift options for supporting the University of Minnesota Extension.
We encourage you to tell us about your gift by completing our estate gift form. By sharing your gift, you ensure that Extension understands how you’d like your gift to be used.
Please note: this document does not create a binding commitment. Any information you provide about your gift will be kept confidential.
Including a gift in your will or trust, known as a charitable bequest, is a meaningful way to support Extension. Gifts of any size help sustain and strengthen Extension for many years to come.
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Control: You can make a generous gift while maintaining control of your assets during your life.
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Flexibility: You can change your plans at any time.
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Estate tax reduction: Gifts to the University are not subject to estate tax.
You can make a gift by including the University of Minnesota Foundation as a beneficiary in your will or revocable trust. You can choose to give a specific dollar amount, specific property, or a percentage of what remains after you’ve provided for your loved ones.
Sample gift language
To include a gift for Extension in your will or trust, we suggest using the following language: “I give [the sum, percentage, or description of property] to the University of Minnesota Foundation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, to be used for the benefit of [the college, campus, or program] or [according to my written instructions on file with the foundation].”
Name: University of Minnesota Foundation
Address: 200 Oak St. SE, Suite 500, Minneapolis, MN 55455
UMF Federal Tax ID number: 41-6042488
The Planned Giving staff at the University of Minnesota Foundation can work with you and your attorney to customize this gift language to ensure that it accurately reflects your wishes and that the Extension will be able to use your gift as intended. The University’s team of development professionals can help you designate your gift in a way that's most meaningful to you.
Planning your estate: getting started
Estate planning may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be. Our Estate Planning Kit provides some information and tools to help you get started.
Naming Extension as a beneficiary of your retirement account or life insurance is a simple and tax-advantaged way to support our mission.
To make an estate gift using retirement assets or life insurance, simply designate the University of Minnesota Foundation as a beneficiary of your account or policy. Each company has its own forms and requirements to designate or change a beneficiary. Please contact your plan administrator or insurance company to request the appropriate forms.
Name: University of Minnesota Foundation
Address: 200 Oak St. SE, Suite 500, Minneapolis, MN 55455
UMF Federal Tax ID number: 41-6042488
Notify your beneficiaries
Many financial institutions do not inform beneficiaries of gifts after the owner has passed away. Informing your beneficiaries of your plans ensures that your gifts will go to the people and organizations you have named. It’s also important to tell your charitable beneficiaries how you want your gift to be used.
Working with your organization
A donor-advised fund is an account owned and administered by a public charity (called “the sponsoring organization”) to which a donor makes charitable contributions.
Giving to Extension from your donor-advised fund is simple. You can recommend a grant from your fund to the University of Minnesota Foundation (UMF) by providing the following information to the sponsoring organization:
Name: University of Minnesota Foundation
Address: 200 Oak St. SE, Suite 500, Minneapolis, MN 55455
UMF Federal Tax ID number: 41-6042488
Please contact the extension development team to inform us of your gift and let us know the specific program, project, or priority you would like to benefit. We'll work behind the scenes to ensure your gift is directed to the Extension program you wish to support.
Is your employer one of the thousands that provide matching gifts to Extension? At no additional cost, you could double or even triple the impact of your gift.
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Step 1
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Make your gift to Extension, in whatever amount feels right for you. Make a gift online, or through the mail.
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Step 2
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Watch for your gift receipt from the University of Minnesota Foundation. It'll come to your email if you shared an email address, or to your mailbox if you don't use email.
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Step 3
If you find your employer in the database, request a matching gift form from your human resources department. Send the completed form, including gift information, to:
University of Minnesota Extension
200 Oak Street SE, Suite 500
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Extension welcomes collaboration with corporate and foundation partners in teaching and learning, research, and outreach. Please contact the development team to explore opportunities that will work closely with corporation or foundation partners to match their interests with the needs of Extension.
Please note
This information is provided as an educational service to our donors. It is not legal or tax advice. Please consult a professional advisor on how any charitable gift may affect your own tax situation.
You'll find more detailed information on all methods listed, and additional ways to give, on the University of Minnesota Foundation's website. Gifts to Extension and Minnesota 4-H are received by the University of Minnesota Foundation and they will issue your receipt.
Give to Extension
Reviewed in 2021