Advancement

Your 100% tax deductible gift to MECA&D supports our commitment to art education, directly impacting our students and the creative economy. We equip our students with the skills to launch successful careers in whatever art or design-related paths they choose by establishing a creative practice as the foundation for a lifelong pursuit of personal and professional goals.

If you need assistance with making a gift or would like more information on ways to give and types of giving, please contact Annie Wadleigh, Associate Director of Development, at 207.699.5015 or email advancement@meca.edu.

• Make a One-Time Gift
• Make A Tribute Gift in Honor or
  Memory of a Loved One
• Monthly Sustainer Program

Ways to Give

• Online
  Making a gift online is the easiest way to donate to MECA&D.
• Checks
  Make checks payable to Maine College of Art & Design or MECA&D and mail to us c/o Advancement Office, 522 Congress St, Portland, ME 04101
• By Phone
• Stock Gifts
  Appreciated Securities are a popular alternative to a cash gift because it may avoid capital gains tax on securities held long-term and provide an income tax deduction equal to the fair market value at the date of transfer. For MECA&D's stock transfer instructions, click Stock Transfer Instructions 2023. Contact us for information on making a wire transfer.
• Matching Gifts
  You may be able to double or even triple your gift if you or your partner work for a company with a matching gift program. Check with your employer!

Types of Giving

Maine College of Art & Design reserves the right to display, store, resell, and/or deacquisition any donated personal property if such action is deemed in the best interest of the College for any reason.

Donors who wish to receive a letter of acknowledgement for tax purposes must provide us with an inventory. We are not able to confirm the value of donations, but you may take your estimated deduction on your tax return. Per the IRS, “If your total deduction for all non-cash contributions for the year is over $500, you must complete and attach IRS Form 8283, Noncash Charitable Contributions to your return. If any single gift or group of similar gifts was valued at over $5,000, you must also get an appraisal of the item from a qualified appraiser.”

Please contact Annie Wadleigh, Associate Director of Development, at awadleigh@meca.edu or 207.699.5015 for more information.

• Annual Giving
  An undesignated annual gift allows MECA&D to use your gift for our most essential needs, including providing financial aid to students in all our programs; supporting our faculty; and maintaining and upgrading our facilities.
  
  MECA&D’s Porteous Society recognizes supporters who make gifts of $2,000 or more each year to any purpose at the college. Gifts at this level demonstrate that donors share MECA&D’s commitment to providing students with the tools they need to take risks, think critically, and work creatively to become the next generation of artists and thinkers. Members of the Porteous Society are invited to a variety of special MECA&D events throughout the year.
• Endowment Gifts
  An endowment fund contributes revenue to the operating budget of the College every year, forever. Endowment gifts are made to the College with the understanding that the original value of the gift (the principal) will be invested and a portion of the investment earnings (the distribution) will be used to fund the educational mission of the College. Endowment funds are often named and restricted to a specific purpose by the donor, such as named student scholarships, library acquisitions, or an endowed professorship. They can also be unrestricted to benefit MECA&D's highest priorities. Gifts of any amount may be made to augment MECA&D’s current endowments. There is a minimum threshold of $50,000 to establish and/or name an endowment fund. Please contact us to discuss how making this type of investment can honor your or a loved one's legacy in perpetuity while benefiting the next generations of artists.
• Planned Giving
  Planned gifts, such as through a bequest provision in your will, a revocable trust, a charitable gift annuity, or adding MECA&D as a beneficiary to your retirement plan or life insurance policy are all ways to have an enormous and lasting impact on MECA&D and for new generations of artists who come through our doors. Learn more here or contact us for more information.
• Designated Funds
  A designated gift for a specific department or program helps MECA&D accelerate opportunities for students by providing resources not annually budgeted from operating funds.
• Naming Opportunities
  To discuss our recognition opportunities that are available, including corporate sponsorships, please contact Laura Retherford at lretherford@meca.edu or 207.699.5039.
• In-kind Donation of Materials
  MECA&D accepts a large variety of in-kind donations, which may be valuable to our students and programs. New or lightly used items such as water-based paints, art supplies, cameras, textiles, and tools are some examples of items we may accept. Due to space limitations, we cannot accept drop-off donations at the College and all materials must be vetted in advance.
• Artwork
  Maine College of Art & Design does not collect works or objects of art as we are not a collecting institution. We may accept artwork with the expressed agreement that we may sell the work at our discretion. This includes, but is not limited to, selling the piece(s) through a direct private sale, fairs, festivals, or by other means. The College reserves the right to exhibit or post the works at its discretion. United States tax code for charitable deductions will dictate the requirement for appraisals and potential tax deduction of any gift of art or object of art. MECA&D reserves the right to display, store, resell, and/or deacquisition any donated personal property if such action is deemed in the best interest of the College for any reason.
• Books
  MECA&D’s Joanne Waxman Library is pleased to consider new and lightly used books, serials, exhibition catalogs and other library-appropriate materials. All gifts to the library must be reviewed in advance by the Library Director and be consistent with the College’s Gifts Acceptance Policy. Materials may be culled, offered to students, or sold to benefit the library at our discretion. Contact the library at 207.775.5153 or library@meca.edu to discuss your donation.
• Real Estate
  Gifts of real estate are guided by the College’s Gift Acceptance Policy. One example is the Stephen Pace House in Stonington, Maine, which was given to MECA&D in 2007 to be used as an artists’ residency and gallery. Originally conceived to be a gift in their estate, Stephen and Palmina Pace decided to give their home during their lifetimes to allow the College to begin using it to benefit young artists right away. The gift also included an endowed maintenance fund for the upkeep of the house. Contact us for further information.