Excellence in Education Endowment

The Purpose of the Excellence in Education Endowment

...is to permanently endow the future of the Excellence in Education Week program and ensure the continuation of annual student scholarships, teacher professional development awards, and recognition events.

Endowing Excellence in Education

The Great Lakes Center for Youth Development provides the current funding for Excellence in Education Week. In an effort to ensure the future of EEW for years to come, the Community Foundations of Marquette and Alger counties joined forces in 1999 to create an endowment fund. With a $1 million lead gift from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the two foundations have recruited a committee of volunteers to raise an additional $900,000 for the fund. Earnings will then be used, starting in 2008, to support the scholarships, professional development awards, and two-county celebrations each year. As additional funds are raised, the money will be invested and earnings will be used to expand the Excellence in Education program.

The Tax Credit That Builds Michigan's Communities

By donating to the Excellence in Education Endowment Fund, donors can achieve their charitable goals and receive maximum federal and state charitable contribution tax incentives for gifts to a public charity, and receive the added Michigan Tax Credit.

The State of Michigan provides a tax credit to encourage gifts to permanent endowments of community foundations. A 50% direct Michigan Income Tax Credit, or Michigan Single Business Tax Credit applies to all endowment gifts to certified community foundations up to:

• $100 for an individual taxpayer who is single, or married and filing seperately; ($200 gift)
• $200 for a married couple filing jointly; ($400 gift)
• $5,000 or 10% of the tax liabilty before credits (whichever is less) for a resident estate or trust
• $5,000 or 5% of the tax liability before any credits (whichever is less) for businesses filing Single Business Income Tax Returns

The Community Foundation Tax Credit is seprate from, and not reduced by, the existing credits for contributions to Michigan Public Broadcasting stations; Michigan colleges and universities; and in-state public libraries, museums, municipalities, and other authorized recipients.

Take advantage of the Community Foundation Tax Credit by making a gift to the Excellence in Education Endowment Fund.

Pledges can be paid over a five-year period. One-time gifts and pledges can be sent to either the Marquette Community Foundation or the Alger Regional Community Foundation using the pledge form.

You can print the pledge form, to submit with your gift to one of the addresses printed on the form.

For more information, contact: