Planned Giving
Ailey Legacy Circle
Ways to Give
Designate Your Gift
Current Members
The Ailey Legacy Circle recognizes and honors the generous donors who have made a bequest or other planned gift to Ailey, they support Ailey’s inspiring performances around the globe, world-class training programs, and innovative arts-in-education initiatives and community programs through a gift that offers financial flexibility in their lifetimes, and marks their permanent legacy supporting the arts.
Legacy Circle members enjoy special year-round benefits including recognition in Ailey’s printed materials, invitations to donor events and rehearsals, and passes to the VIP Lounge during Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s New York City Center season.
Ailey accepts many types of planned gifts that can help you leave your mark on the organization while prioritizing your family’s needs now and in the future. The most common planned gifts to Ailey are bequests and beneficiary designations.
There are many different types of charitable gifts that can support Ailey’s future and your financial goals, and each come with their own advantages.
Bequests
Bequests allow you to leave money to Ailey in your will, but maintain the flexibility to change it as life circumstances change too. You can leave a fixed dollar amount or a percentage of your total estate or property.
You can create a will for free using our FreeWill resource. This tool makes it easy to complete your plans or start a draft to finalize with your attorney.
Learn more about bequests and how to leave a gift to Ailey
Designate Retirement Account
You can designate Ailey to receive all or part of the proceeds of your IRA or other retirement plan after your lifetime. As a non-profit, Ailey will be able to receive the full amount remaining, exempt from income and estate taxes that would otherwise fall to an heir/children if listed as the designated beneficiary.
To list Ailey as a beneficiary of your retirement account, please contact your bank for a Change-of-Beneficiary form, or simply download from your provider’s website.
Learn more about giving retirement gifts in your lifetime and after
Beneficiary of an Asset
Retirement accounts aren’t the only accounts that need beneficiaries—you can list Ailey as the beneficiary of any asset, like a savings account or donor advised fund. This will allow you to reserve these assets for use in your lifetime as you need them, and Ailey to inherit only what you don’t need. Contact your provider to designate Ailey or start planning beneficiaries through FreeWill today.
Gift of Life Insurance
Just like the last two beneficiaries, Ailey can be named as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy. You could name us as the primary beneficiary, co-beneficiary (we would share the proceeds with others you have named), or the contingent beneficiary (Ailey would receive the proceed only if your primary beneficiary predeceases you).
If you own a fully paid-up life insurance policy with cash value, you can donate that policy to Ailey during your lifetime, making Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation the owner and irrevocable beneficiary of the policy. By making this gift you may be entitled to an income tax deduction in the year of the gift.
Learn more about giving the gift of life insurance
IRA Rollover
If you are over 70.5 years old you can give any amount (up to a maximum of $100,000) per year from your IRA directly to a qualified charity such as Ailey without having to pay income taxes on the money. Sometime you might see this popular tax-free donation referred to as a qualified charitable distribution, or QCD for short.
We can help you make a QCD gift today
*These gifts are tax-free, regardless of whether or not you itemize deductions on your tax return. If you are 73 or older, these gifts can even count towards fulfilling your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) for the calendar year.
Gifts of Stock
Many donors prefer to make gifts of appreciated stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or exchange traded funds because it can have a large impact on our mission, and maximize potential tax benefits.
If you would like to transfer your appreciated stocks online, you can use our easy online tool to walk you through the process in less than 5 minutes.
General Operations
When you support our General Operations, you are funding all activities of the Ailey organization and creating a stable base from which Ailey can thrive financially, expand artistically, and fulfill our mission—to provide dance performances, training, and community programs for everyone.
Artistic Programs
New Works
You can provide support for Ailey’s commissioning of new works, furthering our commitment to building a diverse repertory, and nurturing the growth of talented dancers and choreographers.
Education Programs
Scholarships
You can help Ailey provide vital financial assistance through scholarships for The Ailey School’s most talented and deserving young dancers.
Arts In Education & Community Programs
You can support Ailey's unique educational initiatives across the country, allowing Ailey’s Arts In Education & Community Programs to reach nearly 100,000 people each year.
AileyCamp
You can help maintain and expand AileyCamp, innovative summer camps that use dance as a vehicle for developing self-esteem, creativity, and critical thinking skills.
Endowment Fund
Make a lasting impact on any of the above programs by designating your gift to Ailey’s endowment. A growing endowment will further unleash Ailey’s potential and allow the organization to continue to transcend boundaries in all of its programs and inspire generations for years to come.
If restricted to a specific purpose, please speak with Ailey's Development Office first, to ensure that your gift is structured to accomplish your wishes and objectives.
Ailey Legacy Circle
Jack Aini
Sophonisba Lemuria Alawode-El
Cecilia Allen
Gail B. Allen
Paula Allen
Anonymous (5)
Eleanor S. Applewhaite
Harold J. Ashby
Leslie Bachrach
Cheryl Bailer & Ray Hinkle
In memory of Marshall Louis Barer
Katrina H. Becker
Francesca Benson & George Cody
Martin Blackman
Darryl Glenn Bowen
Paulette Marie Bowen
Irisha Brown
Delores Browne
Beth & William Buck
Jessica Butterick
Lisa Marie Caputo
The Reverend Dr. Chawanda Charae
Ketlen Celestin
Barbara Cohen-Stratyner
Valerie Edgehill Cuyjet & Gregory G. Cuyjet
Richard W. & Beth G. Davis
Gordon Dixon
Ellen & Frank Estes
Daniele Favre-Panayotatos & Nikos Panayotatos
Melodi Ford
Elliot M. Friedman
Hertha Gibbs
Michael Golden
In memory of Margaret Grace
Robert-Kristoffer Haynes
Elizabeth D. Hayter
Barbara Iason
Vikki Ismael
Margaret Jamison
Donald Jonas
Vanessa Jordan
Karen Judd
Nancy C. Kincaid
Terrance J. Kyle
Diarra K. Lamar
Laurie Gilden Lindner
Savy Maer
Shelia McClendon
Toni McNaron
Katherine Meerse & David Woodard
Antoinette Melillo
Jacquelyn Mitchell, Estate
Pandora Janiece Moody
Kathleen Morris
Constance Otradovec
Sheena Payne
William E. Phillips
Robert L. Polk
Beth A. Rasin
Julie Ratner, Ed.D.
Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish & Robert Z. Dobrish
Dianne Selditch & Benjamin Zelermyer
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Strumpf
Patricia Sullivan
Hornrette Thomas
Carol Verschell
Daria L. Wallach
Vera F. Wells
Kisha Mitchell Williams
Carrolyn N. Williams
Michelle Whitaker Winfrey
Vivian O. Woodley
Cynthia & Guy Curtis Wrinkle
Deanie Yasner
Listing as of 8/1/2023.