Frequently Asked Questions
Why donate instead of sell?
Donating your object not only helps a museum or historical society, but it also gives you the satisfaction and comfort of knowing that your valued inheritance or cherished heirloom will have a safe, lasting home.
Here are the main advantages to donating vs. selling an artwork, historical artifact or scientific object:
o Museums, historical societies and science centers simply don’t have the funds to make all their acquisitions through purchases. Instead, in most cases, they rely on benefactors to fill out the bulk of their collection. The North Carolina Museum of History, for example, has acquired 85 percent of its holdings through public donations.
o Your valued object will have a safe, permanent home where it will be properly cared for and where it can be seen and studied by curators, researchers and interested members of the public.
o You will have a lasting legacy because you as the donor will always be associated with that donation, and your name will be included on any accompanying label when the object is exhibited.
o You can pay tribute to a loved one, perhaps the person from whom you inherited a Depression-era lithograph or 19th-century chest of drawers, by donating that object in his or her memory.
o Federal and state tax guidelines change regularly, but all or part of the value of donations of artworks and other objects are generally tax-deductible. Please consult your accountant to know what is possible in your case.
How does it work?
o Share photos and/or documentation of the artwork or other objects that you are interested in donating.
o We will respond within two business days to let you know if we think there is a reasonable chance that an institution would be willing to accept the objects you want to contribute.
o We then research and reach out to organizations that seem to be the best fit. Once we have one or more institutions that are willing to accept your gift, you choose the one you would prefer. You can either make a direct donation of the work or undertake what is known as a promised gift.
What is a promised gift?
A promised gift is a signed contract that says you will bequeath the object or artwork upon your death. Promised gifts are useful, because it gives a museum the advance knowledge and assuredness of a gift and it gives you the peace of mind that your object will always be secure.
What if no one wants my donation?
We strive to place every item we think would be of interest or value and have relationships with many museums and other scientific and cultural institutions in the U.S., but sometimes there isn’t a good fit. If that’s the case with your item, we will let you know as soon as possible. See our fee plans for more details.
What about privacy?
We will never share your name or any of your personal information with perspective beneficiary organizations unless you expressly authorize us to do so. As we undertake a search for a potential repository, we will give potential organizations the necessary details they need about the objects or objects in question and nothing more. We will not share your information with anyone else without your express permission.
