Support the Foundation

Eric Williams, was working at Mt. Herman Christian Conference Center as a part-time custodian in 2011. He was debating the pros and cons of a firefighting/paramedic occupation, when nurse Howard Cole helped him better understand his passions and individual strengths, which lead him to enter the healthcare field rather than the fire science program.

Williams is one of many students who attend COS every day--each one with their own story of how they came to be at COS. We are humbly reminded of the incredible commitment and generous support of our many wonderful friends in this community throughout the year. We are fortunate to live in a community that has a community college in its backyard.

It is clear that with the ongoing cuts in the state budget the need for strong public-private partnerships is more critical than ever. With your continued support, we can meet the challenges ahead and continue to make the academic dreams of thousands of individuals in our community a reality. Your unrestricted gift will ensure our continuity.

Thanks to you we can ensure that our future is bright and that this treasure in our community will provide great benefits to all of us for years to come.

Annual Fund Contribution Form (PDF)

Employees can support scholarships, programs, departments and projects at College of the Siskiyous through our payroll contribution program. Your participation sends a powerful message of dedication and support to our students and to our community.

One of the Foundation goals for this year is to increase the number of contributors. We want to recognize our campus community, so if you donate $10 per month (or more), we'll deliver a special gift to your desk. Or, if you prefer, you may make a lump sum donation by cash, check or credit card.

To begin your automatic donation to the College of the Siskiyous Foundation or to make changes to the amount you are donating, please complete the payroll deduction authorization form and return it to the Public Relations Office.

Thank you for your support of the College!

Payroll Deduction Authorization Form (PDF)

Endowment funds may be established for scholarships, programs, facilities, and departments at College of the Siskiyous. The principal of endowment funds is not spent. The Foundation policy is to distribute 4% of the interest annually (determined by the Foundation Board each year - based on fund performances) to be used for the purpose of the fund.

Establish your own named fund - An endowment fund can be established for $10,000. Donors have five years to establish the minimum. When the principal of the endowment reaches the specified amount, the endowment earns interest for one year. After earning interest for a year, the fund is activated and awarded the following spring. Prior to activation of the fund, all annual interest and earnings from the investment of the fund will be added to the principal to reach the minimum amount.

General Endowment Form (PDF)

Current Endowment Funds - Faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the College have established X endowment funds. These funds can be added to by anyone who wishes to support their purpose.

Scholarships have been established through the generosity of businesses, associations and individuals. These scholarships reward student achievement, encourage student leadership and accomplishments, and provide needed financial assistance.

Scholarships have been instituted to honor or remember family, friends or organizations. Some scholarships are created to provide trained professionals in needed fields of study. For whatever reason, financial assistance helps students receive the necessary education to compete in today's world.

Create a scholarship - Individuals, groups, or businesses may establish a scholarship with the COS Foundation. If interested in doing so, please contact the Foundation Office.

Apply for a Scholarship - Students may apply for scholarships beginning in January of each year. Applications are due to the Foundation (Public Relations Office) no later than March 15. Applicants for scholarship may include: graduating Siskiyou County high school seniors, current COS students, and re-entry students.

Scholarship Form (PDF)

Cash gifts are outright gifts of cash, checks, money orders and Visa, Discover and MasterCard credit cards. For assistance with making a gift by credit card, visit or call the Foundation office at (530) 938-5373 or email foundation@siskiyous.edu.

Contribution form (PDF)

To begin your automatic donation to the COS Foundation or to make changes to the amount you are donating, please complete the form and forward it to the Foundation Office. If you have questions regarding the payroll contribution program, please call (530) 938-5373.

Payroll contribution form (PDF)

COS may accept non-cash or "in-kind" donations of equipment or materials if they can be used to the benefit of college programs and services. All non-cash donations must be accepted by the department chair and the COS Foundation. In order to expedite the approval for, and acceptance of, non-cash donations, please follow these guidelines:

First contact the Foundation (530) 938-5373 to verify that the donated equipment or materials can and will be used in support of college activities. Then complete the Gift in Kind form.

Gift in Kind donation form (PDF)

Corporations will often match gifts made by employees or retired employees. More than 1,000 companies in the U.S. have adopted corporate matching gift programs. Please consult your company's human resources department for guidelines.

The most common gift is the Charitable Remainder Trust. The donor places assets (typically highly appreciated) into an irrevocable trust. Within the trust, assets can be bought and sold without tax consequences. The donor receives income (typically for life, or two lives if a spouse is involved) from the investment of trust assets. When the donor passes away, the trust is dissolved and the assets pass to a previously named charity. Because the trust pays no taxes, the highly appreciated asset can be sold within the trust without capital gains tax consequences and invested to provide increased income for the donor. The donor receives a current year tax deduction for the value of the future gift that charity will receive. Frequently, the increased income that the beneficiary realizes can be used to purchase life insurance that will replace the asset for the heirs without gift, income, or estate tax consequences.

• A Charitable Lead Trust is nearly the opposite of the charitable remainder trust. A donor puts an asset in a lead trust and pays income to a charity for a period of time. The asset then reverts to the donor or the donor's heirs (with estate tax savings). The donor receives a tax deduction for the value of the income interest donated to the charity, but that is reduced by income tax that the donor must pay on the income.
• A Charitable Gift Annuity is simply a contract between a donor and a charity promising to make payments to the donor for life in exchange for a contribution. This is identical to a commercial annuity, except that the rates of return are typically lower for charitable gift annuities so that the donor can receive a tax deduction for a portion of the gift. The annuity may be immediate (payments to the annuitant begin within a year) or deferred (payments to the annuitant begin at some future date.) A portion of every annuity payment that the annuitant receives is a tax-free return of principal and the remainder is considered ordinary income and/or capital gain. The charity may elect to spend a portion of the gift annuity amount immediately or retain it in its entirety, keeping the remainder in reserve to assure it can meet the income obligations to the annuitant.
• A Pooled Income Fund is another type of gift that gives back to the donor. Assets contributed by the donor are pooled with others in a fund. The donor receives a pro-rata portion of the fund's future earnings and is allowed a partial charitable deduction for the gift to the fund. One advantage of the pooled income fund (and the charitable remainder trusts) is that they can accept contributions of long-term appreciated property and sell it within the fund without paying capital gains tax. This allows the donor to convert low yielding, highly appreciated property and sell it within the fund without paying capital gains tax. This allows the donor to convert low-yielding, highly-appreciated assets into higher yield assets while avoiding capital gains consequences.

There are other types of tax leveraged charitable gifts such as life insurance, life estates in a home or farm, and conservation easements that may be given. As with the other examples above, they provide the benefit of moving assets out of the estate, thereby avoiding estate taxes, leveraging a gift with tax savings, and (if made during life) typically yield a current tax year tax deduction.

When should you give?

You may make charitable gifts any time during your life or at death by will or trust. Gifts during life receive a double tax benefit; they are typically leveraged by income or capital gains tax savings and estate tax savings because assets are no longer in your estate you will not have to pay estate taxes on them. Charitable gifts made at death by will or through a revocable living trust avoid estate tax but will not provide any income tax relief.

Should you choose to make a gift during life, the dates of your gift (for IRS purposes) varies depending on the type of asset gifted and the method. All gifts physically delivered to the Foundation Office are receipted as of that day, with the exception of gifts of stock that have not had a stock power executed. Gifts of cash and checks that are mailed through the U.S. Post office are receipted as of date of postmark. Gifts of cash and checks that are mailed through private carriers such as UPS or FedEx are receipted on the day they arrive at the Foundation Office. Real estate is received on the day a deed is recorded. Stock gifts are receipted on the earlier of the day stock shows up on the Foundation's account, the date stock certificates are put into the Foundation's name, or the date stock certificates are physically delivered and a stock power (releasing your interest) is properly executed.

How will your gift be valued and your tax deduction is calculated?

Cash is valued at face value. Real estate, personal property and partnership or business interests valued over $5,000 require a qualified appraisal by an unrelated person. If the personal property is not put to a use related to the Foundation's tax exempt purpose (education), then the tax deduction is limited to your actual cost or the market value, whichever is lower. Business inventory is always valued at cost (with some rare exceptions). Publicly traded stocks and bonds are valued at the average of the high and low prices on the day the donation is received; in the event the stock market is not open on the day of the gift, the averages used are from the nearest two days before and after the gift that the stock when the market was open. Split interest gifts (charitable remainder trusts, lead trusts, pooled income funds, gift annuities, life estates) in which the donor receives something in exchange for the gift, such as lifetime income, require calculation according to IRS rules to determine the tax deduction. The College of the Siskiyous Foundation uses special software for these gifts and can prepare an estimate upon request.

Should you decide to make a charitable gift you should always consult your attorney, accountant, and other financial professionals. College of the Siskiyous Foundation reserves the right not to accept an offered gift it deems if it cannot appropriately use the asset to serve the College

Real Property includes all gifts of real estate. In considering whether to accept the gift, the Foundation weighs its potential value to the College and determines whether a management plan can be implemented to maximize potential.

Your scholarship contribution provides a gift of knowledge to a deserving College of the Siskiyous student. Scholarships reward student achievement, encourage student leadership and accomplishment, and provide needed financial assistance. Scholarships are established to honor or remember family, friends or organizations. Some scholarships are created specifically for helping to train professionals in specific fields of study.

• Annual Scholarships: A donor may name a general scholarship with a minimum donation of $1,000 or more, established as a one-time memorial scholarship or as annually renewable.
• Endowed Scholarships: May be established (named) to memorialize or honor family, friends or organizations. Endowed scholarships are established as perpetual scholarships. An endowment fund is administered according to the following provisions:
  • When the principal of the endowment reaches the specified amount (minimum $10,000), the endowment earns interest for one year. After earning interest for one year, the scholarship is activated and awarded to a student the following spring. A $10,000 endowment produces a $500 scholarship. Prior to activation of the scholarship, all annual interest and earnings from the investment of the fund will be added to the principal to reach the minimum amount.
  • If for any reason the endowment fund does not reach the agreed minimum goal within a five-year period, the Foundation transfers the funds to the COS general scholarship fund.
  • Donors may elect to personally pay for the annual scholarship fund disbursement prior to the activation of the endowed fund.
• General Scholarship Fund: These scholarships are provided to Siskiyou County students. They are funded by unrestricted charitable contributions and scholarship fund raising activities.

Donation of your appreciated stocks and bonds will help you avoid paying capital gains taxes. Stocks and bonds can be transferred to the COS Foundation account. Call for information.

Unrestricted gifts are particularly beneficial to COS since they provide monies that can be directed where the need is greatest. The COS Foundation greatly appreciates unrestricted gifts in any amount.

The college greatly appreciates estate gifts given in support of facilities, programs, endowments and/or scholarships.

COS welcomes contributions offered as goods or services in support of the college, its programs, and its students. When notifying the COS Foundation, donors are asked to apply a fair market value to this type of contribution.

Contributions in recognition of a special occasion or individual may be directed toward an existing endowment or fund. Creating a new named endowment is another way to make a lasting tribute.

Whether you contribute toward an existing COS Foundation endowment or the establishment of a new endowment, your gift will serve as a wonderful tribute and a lasting legacy. Many donors also choose to remember a loved one with a gift.

Naming opportunities are available at all levels. This is an excellent way to have an organization or individual recognized for their commitment to education, the arts, health care or the environment. Names may be on buildings, rooms, fields or other items.