IRA Giving

Use Your Required Minimum Distribution for Good

If you are 70.5 or older, you can transfer any amount up to $105,000 per year from your IRA directly to the National Geographic Society. 

Funds remaining in retirement accounts after your lifetime are heavily taxed if left to someone other than a spouse. Many donors choose to use their IRA resources for charitable giving, while leaving other less tax-burdened assets to family and friends. 

With an IRA charitable rollover you can see, during your lifetime, the impact of your gift to help us explore and protect the wonder of our world.

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Benefits

  • Your gift helps satisfy your required minimum distribution.
  • You avoid paying income tax on the distribution.
  • You help reduce highly taxed assets.
  • You receive tax benefits even if you don’t itemize your deductions.
  • Gifts of $1,000-$24,999 automatically qualify you for our Grosvenor Council and you’ll receive exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to the Society.
  • Gifts of $25,000 or more automatically qualify you for our leadership giving societies, which provide special access to the people, places, and work that make up the Society.

Frequently Asked Questions

An IRA charitable rollover helps reduce your federal income tax by providing the opportunity to make a gift using your required minimum distribution.

Gifts from your IRA must be made payable to the National Geographic Society in order to qualify. An IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) is not subject to federal income taxes.

Yes! IRA owners who are 70.5 or older may now make a one-time distribution for a CGA. There are some limitations to consider with this law so please contact our Planned Giving office to receive a personalized illustration and the maximum rate allowed per person. IRA charitable rollovers cannot be used to fund donor advised funds or private foundations.

A QCD can only be made from a Traditional or Roth IRA. Gifts from 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and other plans do not qualify.

Yes. Federal law limits the annual contribution from an IRA to a charity, which increases annually with inflation. Please contact us and your advisor for current limits.

How to Make a Gift

  • Contact the Planned Giving Office for a customized letter to your administrator.
  • Contact your plan administrator and request a charitable IRA rollover to be distributed directly from your IRA to the National Geographic Society. 
  • Our address: 1145 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. 
  • Our 501(c)(3) federal tax identification number is 53-0193519. 
  • Please make sure your name is on the gift transfer and you notify us of your gift intention so we can make sure your gift is received and recorded properly.
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Photo credits (from top of page): David Doubilet