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Thank you for supporting the Brick Store Museum. 

Southern Maine is our shared home. That means we have shared history. In a place this vibrant, there are a wide range of opportunities to learn and explore.

The Brick Store Museum relies on the support of our community to fulfill its mission to ignite personal connections to local history, art and culture, inspiring visitors to become empathetic global citizens and leaders for the future.

Below, please find a range of choices that you can explore to support the Museum.

Thank you for believing in what we do!

Annual Fund:
The Annual Fund is the largest single campaign each year that sustains the Museum’s operations.
This funding is imperative to supporting free programs, staff, scholars, exhibitions, historic preservation, conservation, outreach, events – and everything that helps the Museum survive year-after-year. Essentially, the Museum is here because of the Annual Fund support of so many community members!
 
Whether you donate one-time or become a Patron Member through monthly support, we appreciate every donation that fuels education and preservation!
Donate to the Annual Fund securely below:
Looking to give to a specific project at the Museum? Consider the following funds below:
Spofford Education Fund

To donate by mail, please make checks payable to Brick Store Museum and send to the following address:

Brick Store Museum
117 Main Street
Kennebunk, ME 04043

Other Support Options:

Increase Your Tax Benefits through Charitable Contributions:

  • Did you know that charitable contributions, such as those made to the Brick Store Museum are tax deductible? 
  • Did you also know that they are only tax deductible if you itemize deductions on your income tax return? 
  • Finally, did you know that only 13% of tax payers itemize their deductions?  That is because when the standard deduction ($30,700 for married seniors) is higher than your combined itemized deductions, it of course wouldn’t make sense to itemize!  Said differently, 87% of donors do not receive any tax benefit when they contribute cash/checks to charitable organizations. 

There are two common ways to increase tax benefits, even if you are someone who does not itemize:

  1. Donating appreciated stock/securities.  Whether you write a check for $500 or donate $500 of Apple stock, if you itemize deductions, you are able to deduct $500. If you do not itemize, you do not get the deduction.  By donating stock, you have the added benefit of avoiding capital gains tax.  Say those shares were bought for $100. If you were to sell them, you would pay tax on the $400 of growth.  By gifting the shares to a charitable organization, taxes are never paid on that gain.  This is the case regardless of whether or not you receive a tax deduction.
  2. Making gifts directly from your IRA/retirement.  At age 73, the IRS forces you to make withdrawals from your IRAs and pay tax on the amount.  The only way to avoid tax on these dollars is to give them directly to charitable organizations.  This is called a qualified charitable distribution, and you are allowed to do this up to $100,000 annually.  If you are one of the 87% of people who do not itemize, and your required minimum distribution (as calculated by the IRS) is $1,000, and you contribute $500 to a charitable organization by writing a personal check, you will pay income tax on $1,000 and receive no tax deduction.  If you take advantage of the qualified charitable distribution rules you could send $500 to the charitable organization directly from your IRA/retirement account and then your IRA required minimum distribution is only $500 and thus you will only be taxed on $500.  Ultimately, you and the charitable organization end up with the same dollars, except now you saved taxes on $500 of income.
Stock/Securities and Donor-Advised Funds

Gifts of Stock & Securities

Gifts of appreciated stocks and securities are gratefully received; please contact us for further information on this method of giving.

Donor-Advised Funds:

We are happy to help you donate through your donor-advised fund. Please contact us if you need assistance or information to get started.

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Corporate Matching Gifts

You can further increase the impact of your gift if your employer offers a matching gift program; simply ask your employer’s human resources department for the form and send it to us. Learn more here.

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Legacy Giving

Legacy giving (also called planned giving) can be a powerful and meaningful way to leave a philanthropic legacy that helps ensure our future and fulfill our mission. A gift is “planned” when a donor purposefully decides to incorporate a charitable gift into his or her financial or estate plan. Learn more here.

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If you have any questions, or would like to discuss your gift by phone, please contact Cynthia Walker, Executive Director, at cwalker@brickstoremuseum.org or (207)985-4802.