Renewed Endowment Tax Credit Encourages Sustainable Funds.

The Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation attempts to be a proactive organization anticipating change and need. The future can be more effectively dealt with when we take action rather than "react". Every situation doesn't need to be a crisis, especially when it comes to finding funds to handle important community needs.

Endowment Tax Credit is Good for the Lower Flathead Valley.

- The endowment Tax Credit helps build charitable endowment. An endowment is a permanent fund held by or for a charity whereby only the income and growth is used to carry out the charity's mission. Endowments help meet ongoing community needs.

- The endowment tax credit helps "lessen the burden" of government. By strengthening endowments, charities are more capable of resolving social, educational, healthcare and cultural problems.

- The Endowment tax credit can raise revenue. A philanthropy tax credit is a one time credit offered primarily for a "planned gift". A planned gift is a type of gift vehicle which often significantly increases spendable (and thus taxable) income of the taxpayer each year for the remainder of his or her lifetime.

- The endowment tax credit keeps otherwise spent federal capital gains tax dollars in Montana. A planned gift avoids federal capital gains tax which can cost taxpayers up to 20% of the gain on the sale of appreciated assets.

-The endowment tax credit keeps future federal estate tax dollars in Montana. A planned gift avoids future federal estate tax dollars which can cost taxpayers up to 50% of the amount used to fund the planned gift.

- The endowment tax credit saves federal income tax dollars. The endowment tax credit encourages Montanans to be generous to charities, yielding federal tax savings.

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