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IRA Charitable Rollover is Back...Again!

Welcome news...the IRA Charitable Rollover passed...again!  On January 2, 2013, President Obama signed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (H.R. 8), restoring the IRA Charitable Rollover retroactively for 2012 and permitting its use in all of 2013.

What is an IRA charitable rollover?  If you are age 70 1/2 or over, you're required to withdraw certain amounts from your IRAs each year; these distributions are considered taxable income to you.  If you don't need the cash, you could instead choose to give it (or "roll it over") directly to an eligible charity.  The benefit to you is that the amount distributed can be excluded from your gross income for tax purposes.  

What is the new expiration date?  This provision applies to charitable distributions made before January 1, 2014, so it's good for tax years 2012 and 2013.

How can this be accomplished for 2012 since we're already into 2013?  If you took a distribution in December of 2012, you can choose to count it as a rollover for 2012 if you transfer the cash to an eligible charity before February 1, 2013.  Or, you can make a distribution now - before February 1, 2013 - and choose to have it treated as a 2012 distribution. Consulting your tax and financial advisors is probably a good idea... 

Gifting Options:  If you or someone you know could benefit from this provision, we're happy to help!  With funds supporting over 100 local organizations, as well as funds that benefit the arts, environment, education, human services, and provide scholarships, there are countless vehicles already in place to receive charitable rollovers in any amount up to the $100,000 per year limit.  If you'd like to start a named fund of your own, we're always ready to help with that, too!  

Contact Bob Chapla at bchapla@cffmc.org or 231.332.4111 if you'd like to talk about your options.

Details:  Read here for the guidelines of the rollover provision.

Grant Deadline Feb. 15

Read more: Grant Deadline Feb. 15

Calvin College January Series Returns

15 Days of Free Education!

The award-winning January Series of Calvin College is again coming to Downtown Muskegon! From January 3 - 23, 2013, the Frauenthal Center’s Beardsley Theater (427 W. Western Avenue) will be one of 38 remote webcast locations worldwide to broadcast one of the nation’s leading lecture and cultural arts series. 

Plan to join us from 12:30 to 1:30pm (bring your lunch if you'd like) each weekday...the lectures are free and open to the public.  We're pleased to be hosting this Series for our second year; we're able to because of the gifts of many, including one in gratitude for Richard Charles Ford's commitment to the integrity of persons and of the community.  

The 26th-annual January Series will cover a wide range of today’s most relevant topics:  improving immigration policy, an insider’s view of the political climate in Washington D.C., the history of the inaugural address (days prior to the 2013 Presidential Inauguration), and the future of farming as the world population is expected to reach nine billion in 2050. For a full list of speakers and topics visit http://www.calvin.edu/january/2013. If you're a reader or part of a book club, check out this book list they've put together!

“Whatever’s happening in the world, we are talking about it,” said Kristi Potter, director of the January Series since 2007. “The speakers we bring in are tops in their field and many of them offer Christian perspectives. Part of Calvin’s mission is to teach us what’s going on in the world and show us how we can affect it. The January Series offers us another platform to do just that."

For more information, contact Heidi Sytsema at 231-332-4107. 

Love Your Community Grant Contest Announced

What can you do with $500?

The Community Foundation for Muskegon County wants to know what YOU can do with $500 to make your corner of Muskegon County a little more lovable. So we’re launching another Love Your Community grant contest to find out!  (Download the application!)

Inspired by Peter Kageyama’s message encouraging citizens to declare their love for their community, we will award grants to six projects that demonstrate and share the love!  Examples of these “love notes” include last year’s winning projects such as Movies on the Beach, a Play It Forward benefit concert for the Snurfer Sculpture, Portraits of White Lake photography class & exhibit, and more.  All of these ideas were created by the people, for the people, using $500 to get them going.

Unlike our traditional grants, Love Your Community grants are open to anyone, including individuals and businesses as well as nonprofits.  Project ideas must be for the benefit of Muskegon County and its residents, whether for a specific neighborhood or community or the county as a whole; they are not for personal or business benefit.  

Submit your idea on this form by emailing it – including your picture/graphic and a 300 character description – to grants@cffmc.org by 5pm on September 21, 2012.  On October 1, we’ll post the ideas on Facebook and open up the voting.  The six projects that have the most “likes” at noon on Friday, October 12, will receive up to $500 to turn their ideas into reality!  The winning applicants will need to provide a more detailed one-page project description and a budget before funds are released.  As with all of our grants, decisions are subject to Foundation Board of Trustees’ approval.  

Grants are made possible by the CFMC Employee Fund (yes, we practice what we preach!), the Sand Products Corporation Fund, and by the gifts of many others, including one in gratitude for Richard Charles Ford’s commitment to the integrity of persons and of the community.

HEALTHY Muskegon

Healthy Eating and Access – Local Teams Helping Youth

Fresh, local, healthy food for everyone - that is the goal of the HEALTHY Muskegon program.  Through a re-granting program (View the recipients here!), network meeting, learning journeys, and shared knowledge, we are working together to make Muskegon a healthier place for everyone.  

Click here for a list of other grant resources.

Interested in getting involved?

Join us on our upcoming Learning Journey to Eastern Market and Forgotten Harvest in Detroit!  On Tuesday, July 9 we will leave the Foundation bright and early to travel to Detroit for the tour.  More information here.

You can connect with the HEALTHY Muskegon team on Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/HealthyMuskegon/info

Want to stay connected?

Contact Mary (mkotecki@cffmc.org or 231-332-4108) to get updated information about meetings and Learning Journeys, and to get added to the email list.  Stay tuned for information!

More press about HEALTHY Muskegon:

Kellogg Foundation, Muskegon Community Foundation join to promote healthy eating locally

Muskegon Heights Students Celebrate Earth Day with Lessons from the Garden