An endowment gift creates a permanent legacy for you, allows you to honor a family member or loved one, and provides a steady stream of funds to sustain the Smithsonian well into the future.
Your endowment donation will be invested wisely. That way, the endowment grows, even as annual payouts of about 5% keep the Smithsonian in the vanguard of scientific, cultural, historic and artistic inquiry.
Endowment gifts made long ago still benefit our nation—and the world.
To learn more about how you, too, can have such an enduring impact, contact the Office of Gift Planning at 888-419-7584 or email legacy@si.edu.
An Example of How It Works
Longtime supporters Susan and Charlie have two goals: First, they want to make sure the Smithsonian continues to receive support after they're gone. Second, they want to memorialize Charlie's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jones.
Susan and Charlie make a $50,000 donation to the Smithsonian (minimum for an endowment), which we invest, and each year, a portion of the income from the invested money will be used to support our mission in honor of the Joneses. Plus, Susan and Charlie qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction on their taxes.