Giving to MPP

There are lots of different ways to support MPP financially. And some of the ways of giving can provide significant tax benefits!

1. Give Now
2. Shop Online
3. Search the Internet
4. Sell Your Stuff
5. Offer an Auction Item
6. Donate Your Car
7. Transfer Stock
8. Make a Bequest

Give Now

Your donation right now will be used to fund MPP's current projects, like lobbying state legislatures in Illinois, Minnesota, and New York to pass medical marijuana legislation. Or, if you prefer, you can sponsor a medical marijuana patient in Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Vermont, or Rhode Island. Your donation can even be tax-deductible.

Shop Online

When you shop at major online retailers, such as target.com, gap.com, and many others, you can have a portion of the cost of your purchase automatically donated to MPP -- without adding even a penny to your cost! To get started, simply register with iGive at www.igive.com/marijuanapolicyproject. Then, shop with any of the hundreds of merchants participating with www.iGive.com and a portion of the purchase price will be sent to MPP to use in changing our nation's failed marijuana policy. (See a list of stores here.)

MPP is also a member of Amazon.com's Associates program: When you buy products (like books from our recommended reading list) from Amazon.com through links on MPP's site, a portion of the sale goes to MPP. And there's more, because you don't even have to buy products that MPP recommends. Simply use this specially formatted link when you shop on Amazon.com, and proceeds from everything you buy will go to MPP. (We suggest that you bookmark this link in your browser as "Amazon" and use it every time you need to buy anything for anyone.)

Search the Internet

Each time you use GoodSearch.com to search the Internet, money goes towards MPP. The site is powered by Yahoo!, so you'll get the same quality search results that you're used to — what's unique is that the site has developed a way to direct money to MPP with every click. Visit www.GoodSearch.com and enter "Marijuana Policy Project" in the box titled "Who do you GoodSearch for?". Click "Verify" and then start searching! Fifty percent of the revenues generated from advertisers is shared with MPP, and all you have to do is search the Internet like you normally do.

Sell Your Stuff

MPP is part of eBay's Giving Works program, which distributes money from eBay sales to nonprofit causes. Visit www.ebay.com and click on "Sell" to get started. Then be sure to select "Marijuana Policy Project" when you're prompted to enter a charity. (Donations made to MPP in this manner are tax-deductible; eBay will issue tax receipts to sellers on MPP's behalf.)

Offer an Auction Item

If you own artwork, sports memorabilia, a vacation home, collectibles, or a business that could provide free services, you can support MPP by donating them to our upcoming online auction to raise funds for our important work. You can take a tax deduction for the fair market value of goods and/or services you donate. MPP will auction off a few exclusive items at a future party at the Playboy Mansion. To make a donation, please call (202) 462-4747, ext. 2015, or e-mail estevenson@mpp.org.

Donate Your Car

If your automobile (car, truck, boat, motorcycle, RV, or aircraft) is no longer of use to you, it can still go a long way towards supporting our work to end marijuana prohibition. MPP will get money from the sale of your used vehicle at auction, and you will get a tax deduction. To get started, call toll-free 1-866-MPP-GIVE (1-866-677-4483), or e-mail donations@charitableautoresources.com, to contact an MPP vehicle donations representative, who will schedule a pickup that's convenient for you.

If the gross proceeds from the sale of your donated vehicle are $500 or more and if you provide your social security number to our representative at the time of your donation, you will receive IRS tax form 1098-C stating the sale price of the vehicle. This amount is what you will claim on your itemized tax return. If the gross proceeds are less than $500, the tow receipt you receive at the time of pickup will serve as your tax receipt.

Read our car donation FAQ.

Transfer Stock

Donating appreciated securities — stocks, bonds, or mutual funds that have grown in value — can be an easy way of making a contribution to MPP, and one which may have tax advantages for you. You might even be able to consider a larger gift than you would have otherwise given — the size you wish you could make!

Tax benefits: If you transfer long-term held stock to a 501(c)(3) charitable organization such as MPP Foundation (rather than selling the stock and giving the cash), you do not have to pay the capital gains tax on the appreciated value of the stock and you can take a charitable deduction for the full current value of the stock.

These tax benefits only apply to securities that have been held for more than one year. Securities that have been held for one year or less are considered short-term for tax purposes. The charitable deduction for such gifts is limited to "cost basis" (the original value of an asset — usually the purchase price — adjusted for stock splits, dividends and return of capital distributions). Unless the cost basis is close to fair market value, you will likely find it more financially beneficial to make charitable gifts with securities held long-term (more than one year).

To make a gift of stock, let your broker know that you want to transfer stock to the Marijuana Policy Project Foundation (Tax ID #52-1975211). Your broker will want to know the name of the stock(s) and the number of shares you are contributing.

After you have notified your broker, please contact MPP Foundation at (202) 462-5747, ext. 2017, or at md@mpp.org. We will need to know the name and telephone number of your broker, the name of the stock(s), and the number of shares you are contributing. If you request the transfer in writing, please mail a copy of the transfer request letter to MPP Foundation at P.O. Box 77492, Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. 20013.

Please remember to tell your broker not to just sell the stock and forward the proceeds to MPP Foundation. This will jeopardize your tax savings benefits. Stock should be transferred to MPP Foundation's account. We will notify you with the dollar amount of your gift, based on the date the transfer is completed. Gift value is based on the average of the stock's high and low price on the day of transfer.

Make a Bequest

By leaving a bequest to MPP in your will, you can support MPP's work far into the future. You will retain control of your assets, and your heirs may experience tax benefits from your charitable gift.

In drafting your will or living trust, you can specify your bequest as a fixed dollar amount (specific bequest) or a percentage of your estate (residuary bequest). For example, "I give to the Marijuana Policy Project Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization incorporated in the District of Columbia, the sum of $ (or all or percent of my residuary estate) to be used for its general purposes."

It is often simpler to express your bequests as a percentage of your estate, because if your estate changes in value, you will not have to update your will as often. Your gift remains proportional to your estate.

To make a bequest, please consult with your attorney to ensure that your intentions are clear and that your will is in compliance with your state's laws. Then, contact MPP Foundation at (202) 462-5747, ext. 2017, or at md@mpp.org, to let us know of your planned gift.

The purpose of this page is to provide general information only. The Marijuana Policy Project does not provide legal or tax advice. Please check with your tax and legal advisors when planning your charitable gift.