Case Studies

Reuniting Lovers Across Time: Donating Artwork to Benefit a UK Charity

In this case study we describe the challenges faced by the estate of a donor who willed a valuable piece of artwork in her collection to a museum in the UK. She had inherited the art, meaning her cost basis was minimal, and the estate was looking for a deduction of the piece’s Fair Market Value. Leaning on our 30+ years of experience, CAF America was able to accept this donation to benefit the museum, issue valid gift receipts to the donor estate, and put the donation to a related use so that the estate could claim the highest possible deduction for the late donor’s generosity.

Read More

Resolving an Estate: A Donation of Railcars

The tax consulting firm managing the donor’s estate, engaged CAF America and CAF Canada to assess the potential of donating railcars to support the donor’s preferred charitable causes. CAF America and its subsidiary, CAF Canada are well-equipped to manage the donation of complex assets, including the capacity to offer tax-deductible giving solutions in both the United States and Canada. This unconventional gift included 64 railcars from the two countries.

Read More

An Artist's Legacy

An artist renowned for creating intricate prints wished to leave a legacy that would encourage other artists to continue an art form that dates back centuries. Recognizing the complexities of international grantmaking and legacy giving, the family’s attorney turned to CAF America for its expertise in both areas. CAF America set up an invested Donor Advised Fund (DAF), enabling the artist and his wife to make a legacy gift to a French museum to fund an annual printmaking award. Using a DAF for this purpose opened the opportunity to fund the award in perpetuity and create an enduring legacy.

Read More

Helen Rinker thumbnail

The Legacy of Helen Rinker Ashley

In 2008, Helen Rinker Ashley's lawyers contacted CAF America and explained her desire to provide financial support for improvement projects in Voditsa. Together, they created a donor advised fund (DAF) to be financed from the sale of her property and other assets upon her death.

Read More

Enabling Foreign Charities to Scale Their Impact

This case study tells the story of why Tusk closed its US 501(c)(3) organization and established the “Friends of Tusk Fund” at CAF America.

For many foreign nonprofit organizations, accessing donors from the US is an important goal for financial success. However, applying for 501(c)(3) status and maintaining a charity in the US can be a costly and challenging reality. This case study of Tusk shows why a UK charity chose to close its US public charity and instead worked with CAF America to establish a Friends Fund, a cheaper and more efficient vehicle for receiving taxeffective donations from US taxpayers.

Read More

Solar Lights Across Africa

To build awareness around the advantages of solar technology and to give credibility to the solar movement in local African communities, SolarAid launched the SunnyMoney social enterprise.SunnyMoney’s focus is on building relationships with local schools to demonstrate how solar lights operate and educating the surrounding communities on the advantages of investing in solar technology. They provide affordable study lights to students and empower shops, traders, and independent agents to sell and distribute a range of solar lights within the community. Through their innovative distribution model, in only seven years SunnyMoney has grown to become the largest seller and distributor of solar lights in Africa, impacting countless lives along the way.

Read More

The Power of Basketball

This grant was necessary to refurbish the basketball court built by the Kazickas Family Foundation in partnership with NBA Cares in Vilnius, Lithuania in 2006. The refurbishment of the court includes the replacement of basketball stands and hoops, the restoration of the fence surrounding the court, and a complete refinishing and repainting of the court’s surface. KFF’s main focus in refurbishing the court is the continued promotion of fitness and overall physical and mental health for Lithuanian youth through The Power of Basketball initiative, launched in 2015. The Power of Basketball is a social responsibility program created by the Kazickas Family Foundation and conducted by Capital Basketball School (Sostines Krepsinio Mokykla) in Vilnius.

Read More

Creating a Campus: A Donation of Foreign Real Estate

The most pressing questions standing between donors and the fulfillment of their philanthropic visions are often related to identifying the appropriate cause and organization to support. How do you choose a social issue when there are so many and all are worthy? How do you find the organization with the greatest impact? Once these questions are answered, everything else becomes easy. Or does it?

Giving can be as simple as writing a check, however, often times it is a far more complex process that requires extensive resources and the support of a very committed team. When charitable giving involves actors from various countries, the donation is nonmonetary, and is done under considerable time constraints, the donor’s most pressing questions are likely to revolve around how it can be done most effectively.

Read More

Kyengera Women's Hospital

According to the World Health Organization’s 2013 report on micronutrient deficiency in women and children in Uganda, 435 deaths were reported during pregnancy and childbirth for every 100,000 live births in 2010, with malaria and malnutrition being major contributing factors.2 These alarming maternal mortality rates combined with the increasing need to improve people’s knowledge of healthcare issues inspired the Sisters to focus their efforts to increase awareness for women’s health, maternity care, and health education. In order to facilitate their overall goal of improving access to proper health care, the Sisters decided to lend their support in building a women’s hospital in the Kynegera community.

Read More