Support the Geosciences
Support Our Work
The GSA Foundation provides more than $2 million in programmatic funding to GSA each year. Thanks to your generosity, GSA is therefore able to support hundreds of student research projects, field camp scholarships, merit awards, open access journals, and more.
These help students, practitioners, scholars, educators, and geoscience enthusiasts stay connected across their education and career stages.
Through the GSA Foundation, you can support the priorities that matter the most to you. You can support GSA in the present, contributing to its Greatest Needs Fund or other proud traditions, such as Student Field Camp Scholarships and the Congressional Science Fellow Program.
You can also select from more than 120 funds that encompass a wide array of geoscience priorities—speaking to how many ways there are to support the future of Earth science.
This sustained and growing support makes a difference. Your gifts ensure that GSA members remain at the forefront of geoscience discovery and community.
Gifts of Securities
If you own appreciated assets, such as stocks, bonds, or mutual funds, donating them directly to the GSA Foundation can offer significant tax advantages.
You may be able to deduct the full fair market value as a charitable contribution and avoid capital gains tax on any growth since you acquired them (subject to IRS limits). We’d be happy to talk to you about what funds or programs you’d like to support with your gift.
Contact Becky Priest Santavicca
Development and communications officer
To Donate Securities
Provide your broker with the following information:
Name of Account: Geological Society of America Foundation
Name of Broker: Merrill Lynch
DTC Number: #8862
Account: #429-02141
Tax ID: 74-2156871
To ensure all gifts are properly received and acknowledged, please contact A.J. Villa with your intended fund or program to support before donating securities.
Stocks often arrive without donor identification, so this is an important step. If you have any questions about transferring securities, please contact Jeff Tyler.
Valuing Gifts of Securities
Once your gift is processed, we’ll mail you a tax receipt listing the stock name, number of shares, and the date received. Your tax advisor can help you determine the final value for tax purposes.
Charitable Rollovers
If you are more than 70.5 years old, you can make a tax-free contribution to the GSA Foundation from your traditional or Roth IRA. This is known as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), which can have significant tax advantages.
To do this, contact your plan administrator and ask them to direct your distribution to the GSA Foundation, tax-exempt number 74-2156871. You can make both one-time and recurring gifts through charitable rollover donations.
Donor-Advised Funds
A donor-advised fund, or DAF, is a charitable investment fund to which you can contribute cash, securities, or appreciated assets. DAF giving is tax-deductible, and you can direct contributions from your DAF to nonprofits such as the GSA Foundation.
Send Donor-Advised Fund gifts to the
Geological Society of America Foundation,
EIN/tax-exempt number 74-2156871,
P.O. Box 9140,
Boulder, CO 80301.
If you have any questions about arranging a transfer from your DAF, please contact us.
Planned Giving Options
Planned giving enables you to leave an enduring legacy in the field. By making the GSA Foundation part of your will or estate plan, you can support the geoscience you love in perpetuity while potentially reducing the burden of estate taxes.
We hope you will include the GSA Foundation in your estate planning decisions. You can designate gifts of cash, securities, or other property, or a percentage of the remainder of your estate. Go to our Planned Giving page for more details.
Funds & Awards
The GSA Foundation has helped donors establish over 120 named funds that support GSA Programs, Divisions, Sections, and Specialized Research Grants and Awards. Providing support for these established funds is an effective way to honor a distinguished career and increase the impact of a GSA priority in perpetuity.
If you are interested in creating a new named fund, please contact Sean O’Brien
Gifts In Memory
We welcome your gifts in memory of a colleague, mentor, family member, or anyone you wish to honor through your generosity. The GSA Foundation will notify the family of your gift. To complete a gift in memory of a specific person or event please contact us.
*Neither the Geological Society of America nor the Geological Society of America Foundation are engaged in rendering legal or tax advisory services, and tax laws impacting charitable deductions frequently change. The above language is intended solely for general information purposes. For advice and assistance in specific cases, please consult legal counsel.