The ERC depends upon the generosity of donors to help support its mission. And so, we hope that you will donate a monetary gift of any size to the ERC, especially over the next 24 hours, during Purdue Fort Wayne’s Annual Day of Giving on September 9th. This campaign is our biggest fundraising event and provides money that supports our operations, research, student opportunities, community outreach and education.
September 9th is PFW’s second annual Day of Giving. The ERC is one of several Centers of Excellence that depend on the generosity of the community for support. This is our largest fundraising event so please “Make Your Mark” by contributing a gift to help fund our operations, internships, and special projects.
There are three areas of particular importance for ERC fundraising in the near term:
- We want to improve the landscaping around the ERC, promoting a display of approaches beautifully promoting sustainability and ecological function
- Enhance access to and utilization of the St. Joseph River right around the building
- Expand student internship opportunities
Although there are some big-ticket items on our wish list (such as a pontoon boat and motor and floating dock to help us improve student and community access onto the river) to help us achieve these goals, gifts of any size are most welcome. $50-100 would offset the cost of delivering an engagement event out in the community, or provide needed supplies for maintaining our display animals. Cobbled together, they add up to give us the ability to go after bigger things like internships. Thank you so much for considering us!
**The CARES Act, which was signed into law March 2020, makes donating to Purdue Fort Wayne even easier. Through this provision, taxpayers who don’t itemize may deduct donations to charity up to $300 on their 2020 federal tax return, even though they take the standard deduction. Married-filing-jointly taxpayers will get an above-the-line deduction of up to $600. This will reduce your taxable income for 2020. That’s right, this is money you won’t have to pay taxes on, without itemizing. And the exciting part, this benefit doesn’t end in 2020, but applies to all years moving forward!
Also included in the CARES Act, individuals and corporations that do itemize can deduct greater amounts of their contributions. Individuals may deduct donations up to 100% of their 2020 adjusted gross income, which is up from the 60% cap. In addition, corporations may deduct up to 25% of taxable income, an increase on the previous limit of 10%. The new deduction is for gifts made to a public charity, such as PFW.**
If you have questions about this campaign or anything else, please email us directly at erc@pfw.edu. The bottom line: thank you all for your continued support!