Frequently Asked Questions

If you are 70½ or older and own an IRA, you can make a charitable gift using a qualified charitable distribution (QCD).

•   Through a QCD, you can transfer up to the annual statutory limit from your IRA directly to UC Berkeley free of tax.
•   Your gift counts toward your required minimum distribution (RMD) if one is due.
•   You can also make a one-time QCD up to the maximum amount allowed by law to fund a new charitable gift annuity or charitable remainder trust. This tax-  free distribution counts toward your RMD and allows you to establish a lifetime income stream for yourself and/or your spouse.
• Spouses may combine eligible distributions from their separate IRAs to create a single charitable remainder trust or a joint-life charitable gift annuity.

To confirm the exact, inflation-adjusted dollar limits for the current tax year, please contact the UCB Office of Gift Planning (OGP@berkeley.edu; 510.642.6300) or consult your financial adviser.

How to make a QCD

1. Contact your IRA administrator. Request a Qualified Charitable Distribution payable to the University of California, Berkeley Foundation (Tax ID: 94-6090626).
2. Specify the purpose. Tell your administrator which UCB Retirement Center Fund your gift should support.
3. Email the Retirement Center (ucbrc@berkeley.edu) and UCB Office of Planned Giving (ogp@berkeley.edu) - QCD checks often arrive without donor information, so a quick note ensures we credit your gift correctly and recognize your generosity.

Click for a Retirement Center Sample Letter for IRA Donation (it will automatically go to your "download" folder in your computer files).

A donor-advised fund (DAF) allows you to make a larger contribution, receive an immediate income tax deduction (subject to limitations), and then recommend grants to UC Berkeley and other charities over time. You can give cash or more complex assets, simplify your giving, and maintain the flexibility to give when and how it best aligns with your charitable goals. This is also a good way to surpass the high standard deduction (to make itemizing worthwhile) and the new 0.5%-of-AGI giving floor.

Keep in mind that some DAFs allow you to name a qualified charity like UC Berkeley as the beneficiary of any remaining assets at the end of your lifetime. 

How to give via Donor-Advised Fund

Please visit your DAF's website to submit your gift recommendation. If you see a selection of UC Berkeley options listed on your DAF's site:

• Search for "UC Berkeley Foundation" or by the Tax ID 94-6090626.
• If you see multiple options for UC Berkeley Foundation, you may select one tied to the program, school, or college you wish to support.
• If you do not see an option for the program, school, or college you wish to support, your gift will be directed as you instruct in the text field provided on your DAF's grant recommendation form.

Additional key information you will need to provide:

• The amount of your gift.
• Indicate the Retirement Center fund that you would like to support (if just general support, indicate: Annual Fund (#FH0103000).
• Checks must be made payable to the “UC Berkeley Foundation” and mailed to the address below:

University of California, Berkeley
Gift Services
1995 University Avenue, Suite 400
Berkeley, CA 94704-1070

Major DAF Provider Portals:

To recommend a grant, log in directly to your sponsor's portal:

• Fidelity Charitable Portal
• DAFgiving360 / Schwab Charitable Portal
• Vanguard Charitable Portal

Questions? You or your advisor can contact the Office of Gift Planning: 510.642.6300; OGP@berkeley.edu or Gift Services at 510.643.9789; gifthelp@berkeley.edu. 

Questions? You or your advisor can contact the UC Berkeley Office of Gift Planning at ogp@berkeley.edu or 510.642.6300.

Learn more how to make a positive impact on the Retirement Center programming while taking advantage of available tax and financial benefits!