12 Days Of Charitable Giving (2015): The Innocence Project

It’s the tenth day of my 12 Days of Charitable Giving. Readers have suggested deserving charities over the past few weeks and I’ll be posting one a day for – well, 12 days (I’m clever that way). Today’s charity is The Innocence Project.

The Innocence Project is a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing. DNA is a molecule that contains genetic information. Each person’s genetic code is inherited and unique, so each DNA profile is distinct (except in identical twins).

The Innocence Project was founded in 1992 by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University. It was housed at Cardozo until 2004 when it became an independent tax-exempt organization.

Here’s how it works: every year, more than 3,000 people write to The Innocence Project; at any given time the organization is evaluating between 6,000 and 8,000 potential cases. The organization gathers information about each case application and the intake and evaluation staff researches each potential case thoroughly to see if DNA testing can be conducted and, if so, whether favorable results can prove innocence. Not every case results in a finding of innocence. However, since 1989, 333 people in 37 states have been exonerated through post-conviction DNA testing; on average, those folks sat in jail for 13.5 years before they were exonerated.

So how can you help?

To make a one-time donation to the general fund via credit card, you can click over to the website. You can also opt to donate on a recurring basis.

To donate by phone, please call 212.364.5976.

To donate by mail, please click here to print a donation form. Make checks payable to the Innocence Project and mail with a check to:

The Innocence Project
40 Worth Street, Suite 701
New York, NY 10013
Attn: Development Department

To make a donation to the exoneree fund, click here. The exoneree fund is used to provide recent exonerees with the support they need to rebuild their lives. Without support, upon release from prison, exonerees receive no federal or state funding and often lack basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter, and medical care.

You don’t have to donate cash: you can donate shares of appreciated stock (a la Zuckerberg). You will receive a charitable deduction for the full market value as of the date of the transfer of any shares – plus, there’s no capital gains tax. For more information on making an electronic transfer, click here.

You can also show your support by shopping at the organization’s store. While you can’t deduct the cost of merchandise you buy (you’re getting something of equal value for your money so it’s not a charitable donation), your purchase will support the Innocence Project’s work to free the innocent.

For more ways to help, read this list of 10 Things Anyone Can Do To Help Exonerate Innocent People and Prevent Wrongful Convictions.

As always, you want to make sure that your donation is going to a qualified charitable organization. A search using the IRS’ Exempt Organizations Select Check reveals that the Innocence Project is on the list

To find out more about The Innocence Project, check out their website, like them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter. You can also subscribe to their YouTube channel or follow them on Instagram.

Remember: submissions to the 12 Days of Charitable Giving are made by readers and in most cases, I can’t personally vouch for the good work that these folks do. So be generous. But be smart. Do your homework.

For more on making charitable donations, check out this post.

For other charities in the series: