Ways to Give
Make a Gift Online or by Mail
The easiest way to make your gift may be using our online giving form.
If you wish to send a personal check by mail, please make checks payable to Rice University and send along with instructions for the gift designation to the following address:
Rice University
Office of Development MS-81
P.O. Box 1892
Houston, TX 77251-1892
If you'd like to make a gift to the Rice Fund by mail, please complete and send this form with your personal check or credit card information included, also to the above address.
If you need further information, please email giving@rice.edu or call 713-348-4991, and we'll be happy to assist you.
Make an Honorary or Memorial Gift
Honorary gifts
Honorary gifts can be a thoughtful way to show your appreciation for someone or for commemorating a significant event. Donations can be made online here, or mailed to the address listed below.
Those being honored will be notified of your gift; so please include the name and address of the honoree so that we may notify them of your thoughtfulness.
Rice University
Office of Development MS-81
P.O. Box 1892
Houston, TX 77251-1892
Memorial Gifts
Memorial gifts can help ensure a person’s legacy will continue or honor the wishes of the departed. These gifts may be made online here, or mailed to the address listed below in the sample obituary language.
Please include the name of the memorialized, along with the name and address of the individual(s) to whom you would like acknowledgment sent.
For those who would like to include donation information for Rice in an obituary, please see the sample language below:
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be designated to the preferred Rice University fund/area/department. These gifts may be made online at giving.rice.edu or mailed to:
Rice University
Office of Development MS-81
P.O. Box 1892
Houston, TX 77251-1892
Any further questions may be directed to Constituent Relations at 713-348-3877 or stewardship@rice.edu.
Make a Gift of Securities
Thank you for considering a gift of securities in support of Rice. It is almost always to your advantage to contribute long-term appreciated securities directly to Rice, rather than selling them and donating the proceeds of the sale. Why?
- You may be able to claim the full market value of donated shares as a charitable deduction on your income tax.
- You may be able to avoid paying capital gains tax on the increase in the value of your shares given to Rice.
- Please consult your tax professional for more information.
To contribute securities directly to Rice, please notify us of your intentions to transfer stock so we may identify, allocate and acknowledge your gift. To do so, please contact:
Melanie Boyd
Email: mboyd@rice.edu
Phone: 713-348-5800
Fax: 713-348-5166
Mailing address:
Rice University
Office of Development MS-81
c/o Melanie Boyd
PO Box 1892
Houston, TX 77251-1892
If your securities reside with a bank, trust, brokerage house or corporation: Please complete the Stock Instruction Letter, send the original to your broker, and send a copy of it to Rice. If your broker requires the use of their form, please send a copy to Rice, along with a note indicating the designation of your gift.
If you hold the paper certificates: Please mail the unsigned stock certificates and a completed Stock and Bond Power form, and a Stock Transfer Form to Rice. The stock certificates should be certified mailed separately - and at the same time - to the mailing address above. Please include a note indicating the designation of your gift, as well.
If the stock is registered in more than one name, each person must sign the forms.
If you are giving more than one type of stock, a Stock and Bond Power form is needed for each stock.
Note: Raymond James & Associates Inc. is Rice's primary broker and will accept securities from any financial institution.
Make a Gift via Wire Transfer / ACH
Donors may wish to make a gift to Rice via electronic transfer, which may be especially convenient for international donors.
If you would like to make a gift via an electronic transfer, please contact Melanie Boyd at mboyd@rice.edu for detailed bank instructions.
To ensure proper and timely credit of your gift, please send a copy of the wire transfer instructions to Melanie Boyd once the transfer has been completed through your financial institution. Send a copy, via:
Mail:
Rice University
Office of Development MS-81
c/o Melanie Boyd
PO Box 1892
Houston, TX 77251-1892
Email: mboyd@rice.edu
Corporate Matching Gifts
Corporate matching gifts are a great way for Rice University alumni, parents and friends to maximize personal contributions and increase the impact of their gift. By taking advantage of a company's matching gift benefit, you may be able to double or even triple the amount of a contribution!
To find out if your company has a matching gift policy, please contact your Human Resources office or enter your employer's name in our Matching Gift form.
Matching Gifts database provided by HEPdata exclusively under these Terms of Use.
Donor-Advised Funds
Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are charitable savings accounts managed by third-party institutions that enable you to claim immediate tax benefits as you consider the timing and impact of grants you request from the fund to support charitable organizations you care about. If you are looking to support a strong, visionary university that continues to educate the brightest minds and boldly confront some of the world’s biggest research challenges, then today is a great time to tap your DAF to support the work and mission of Rice.
Rice is grateful to receive your support through a grant from your donor-advised fund. For more information about making this wonderful grant from your DAF to support Rice, please contact us at giving@rice.edu or 713-348-4991.
Donor-Advised Fund FAQ
- What are donor-advised funds, and how do they work?
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A donor-advised fund is like a personal savings account that you set up with a nonprofit organization (i.e. sponsoring organization), or a brokerage firm or bank that has an existing donor-advised fund, to manage your charitable giving. You qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction at the time you contribute to the DAF account, and it grows tax-free. You may also eliminate capital gains taxes if you contribute appreciated assets instead of cash. Once your fund is established, you can then advise the fund administrator on how much and how often to distribute a grant to a qualifying charity like Rice.
- Can I make a grant to Rice through a donor-advised fund?
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Yes, as a qualified charity, we accept and welcome grants made through DAFs. Rice donors use DAFs to support a range of worthy causes, from making yearly gifts to the Rice Fund, to funding creative arts and innovative research, to establishing a permanent legacy through a named scholarship or other endowment. If you would like to discuss how giving to Rice can meet your philanthropic goals, contact us at giving@rice.edu or 713-348-4991.
- Can I use my donor-advised fund to pay on a multi-year pledge to Rice?
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A DAF cannot be used to fulfill an existing pledge. However, assets from a DAF may be given, along with a written communication from the sponsoring DAF organization, you, or your advisor, indicating that you wish the grant to be used to set up a “multi-year, non-binding gift intention to Rice.”
- Can I use my donor-advised fund to purchase a membership or tickets to a charitable Rice event?
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Unfortunately, no. Because the money in a DAF has already been subject to a tax deduction, a gift from a DAF cannot garner personal benefits, including those received from a membership or Rice event (food and entertainment). Also, the IRS is very clear that a DAF cannot be used to make a charitable gift that is also combined with any type of benefit, such as memberships, event tickets, etc. In the case where you would like to contribute to event tickets or a membership, or any charitable giving that also has a benefit, then you can do so by making the gift from your personal account, and you will receive a tax deduction for the portion of the amount that is considered a charitable gift.
- Does the CARES Act affect my grant from my donor-advised fund?
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The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is an economic stimulus package passed in March 2020. For the 2020 tax year, a provision in the law allows an income adjustment of up to $300 per taxpaying unit in annual charitable donations for those who take the standard deduction. It is considered an “above the line” adjustment to income that will reduce a donor’s adjusted gross income and thereby reduce taxable income. For those who do itemize, donors may make cash contributions to qualified charities of up to the amount of their adjusted gross income. (Normally a taxpayer can only deduct up to 60% of their adjusted gross income for cash donations.) Donations to a DAF do not qualify for either of these giving options; however, since you have already contributed to your DAF, a great way to support Rice during this unprecedented time without adding pressure around your income or assets is to make a grant to Rice from your DAF.
- Can I give an IRA rollover gift to a donor-advised fund?
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No, an IRA charitable rollover gift, also known as a qualified charitable distribution from your individual retirement account (IRA), cannot be made to a donor-advised fund. If you would like to make a charitable rollover gift to Rice from your IRA, you will need to do this directly from your IRA to Rice.
- I am ready to make a grant to Rice from my donor-advised fund! How long does it take?
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It depends on the sponsoring organization, but it can generally take 3-5 business days to process a grant recommendation for mail, plus an additional few days to allow the post office to deliver the check to your charity. Some funds have web portals that streamline the process. Keep in mind that during peak giving periods (calendar year-end in December and fiscal year-end in June), grants may sometimes take longer to issue. Rice will acknowledge the gift as of the date it is received, either electronically or by mail.
IRA Charitable Rollover
Congress has made the provision for IRA charitable rollover gifts permanent, which allows individuals age 70 1/2 or older to make tax-free gifts totaling up to $105,000 from a traditional IRA account directly to Rice. This enables you to:
- Satisfy your minimum required distribution.
- Exclude the distribution from your gross income.
- Fulfill an annual gift or outstanding pledge.
- Support your favorite passions at Rice, including establishing an endowed fund or scholarship.
Please let us know to expect the distribution and provide us with the name of your IRA provider, the amount of your gift and its intended purpose by contacting Stephanie Dugan at the Office of Gift Planning: 713-348-6206 or sdugan@rice.edu.
Please note: Per the Internal Revenue Code, to qualify for tax-free treatment, you may not receive any goods or services (for example, parking, membership benefits, gala tickets, improved seating, etc.) in return for your IRA distribution.
Other Ways to Give
In addition to outright gifts of cash and securities, there are other ways to give that may be more suitable to your needs and objectives. For information about gifts that provide you with payments for life and benefit Rice later or gifts that cost you nothing now and benefit Rice later, please contact our Gift Planning team.
To create your future Rice legacy, our team is here to assist you with:
- Gifts to Rice in your will or revocable management trust.
- Beneficiary designations for your retirement plan or life insurance to benefit Rice.
- Charitable gift annuities.
- Charitable trusts.
- Gifts of real estate, mineral interests, business interests, closely-held stock and personal property.
To learn about how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act impacts charitable giving click here. For more information about To Rice Be True, our bold gift planning initiative, visit giftplan.rice.edu/toricebetrue or contact a member of our Gift Planning team at 713-348-4624 or giftplan@rice.edu.
