It’s the fifth day of my 12 Days of Charitable Giving for 2018. 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 Cure Alzheimer’s Fund.
Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, sometimes just called CureAlz, was founded in 2004 by three families who wanted to provide funding for Alzheimer’s disease research.
Alzheimer’s disease is defined as an irreversible, progressive disorder that results in the physical atrophy of the brain. It is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is always fatal and there is no known cure.
Since its founding, CureAlz has contributed more than $83,000,000 to research. One research breakthrough funded by the organization is the ground-breaking “Alzheimer’s in a Dish” study. The 2014 study was conducted by Drs. Rudy Tanzi and Doo Yeon Kim and focused on how to grow human brain cells that exhibit the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s pathology in a form mimicking that of a brain. The results allowed for a more thorough testing of drugs to determine whether they should be considered for clinical trials.
Research is the sole mission of the organization. According to the organization’s website, fully 100% of funds raised go directly to research; the Board of Directors covers all overhead expenses. CureAlz’ goal is to stop Alzheimer’s disease through early prediction, prevention, and effective intervention leading to a cure.
So how can you help?
To make a one-time donation of any amount by credit card or PayPal, visit the PayPal site and enter Alzheimer’s Disease Research Foundation.
To donate by mail, use this link to download a donor form and send it along with a check to Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, 34 Washington Street, Suite 310, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481.
You can also donate using your phone. Text the word RESEARCH to the number 41444 and complete the form you receive.
For federal income tax purposes, if you plan to claim a deduction for a cash contribution, you’ll want to keep a record of the donation regardless of the amount. Ideally, the organization will provide a written record with the name of the charity, date, and amount of the contribution.
CureAlz also encourages the use of planned giving techniques for donations. Those techniques include the use of charitable trusts such as a Charitable Lead Trust (CLT) or a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT).
- A CLT is an irrevocable trust with two different kinds of beneficiaries. During the charitable lead period, the trust makes payments to a charitable organization like CureAlz for a fixed term. At the end of the term, the remainder is payable to a noncharitable beneficiary like a family member.
- A CRT operates in the reverse. The trust makes payments to a noncharitable beneficiary like a family member for a fixed term. When the term expires, the remaining assets pass to a charitable organization like CureAlz.
Both charitable trusts can potentially offer tax benefits to the donor for income and estate/gift tax purposes.
For more planned giving options, click here.
Do your homework.
As always, you want to make sure that your donation is going to a qualified charitable organization. A search using the IRS’ new Exempt Organizations Select Check reveals that Cure Alzheimer’s Fund is on the list. However, you won’t find it listed as Cure Alzheimer’s Fund (that’s a D/B/A or “doing business as” name): it’s included as the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Foundation. Remember that the more information you have, like an address or a federal tax ID number, the better, when doing a search.
To find out more about the work of the organization, check out their website, like them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.
I often suggest checking out third-party sites like Charity Navigator for more information about charitable organizations, including evaluations and access to tax forms and other financials. Cure Alzheimer’s Fund has a four-star rating with Charity Navigator. The organization earned the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar, an online service that provides information about nonprofit organizations.
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, click here.
Looking for more inspiration? Here are the other organizations on the list this year:
