HOME / ABOUT / DONATE / GIVE
Annual Appeal Year-End Gifts
In 2024 we celebrate the Athenaeum’s 125th year of serving the many communities that call this storied institution home. Our commitment to bringing intrepid programming which spans the historical to the avant-garde is possible because of you and your generosity. We are incredibly grateful to our members who are and always will be the rock-solid foundation of our organization.
We invite you to make a year-end gift toward our goal of maintaining and expanding the quality and scope of our programs. In addition to your membership, your fully tax-deductible contribution helps us grow our public initiatives and ensure the Athenaeum remains a special part of your life and of the community for another 125 years to come!
This has been a momentous year for the Athenaeum, and we know none of it would be possible without the generosity of our members and donors like you! Each year our Annual Appeal generates critical funding for us to deliver on our mission and that’s why we’re asking for your support. Your donation will help the Athenaeum bring enriching and inspiring programs to our community.
Your generous support allows the Athenaeum to consistently maintain and expand the quality and scope of its offerings, among them are our outstanding and unique library collections, vivid and diverse art exhibitions, critically acclaimed chamber music and jazz concerts, art classes offered by the Athenaeum School of the Arts, as well as free K–12 art and music education outreach and youth arts programs in La Jolla and the Athenaeum Art Center in Logan Heights.
Your donation by December 31 ensures we will kick off 2025 with the strongest possible impact. The Athenaeum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and all donations are 100% tax-deductible.
Want to double your gift? Ask your employer if they offer matching gifts for employee charitable donations.
Ways to Make a Gift to The Library Association of La Jolla DBA Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
-
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library has been able to pursue its mission for over 120 years thanks to several generations of generous donors. Gifts to the Library Association of La Jolla, the 501(c)(3), tax-exempt charity that is the Athenaeum’s legal parent, will help to ensure the Athenaeum’s future and to maintain the high quality of its offerings to the community.
Donors may direct their gifts to support certain programs, for example, Collections, Exhibitions, Chamber Music, or Jazz; or for new programs; or to be used at the discretion of the Executive Director for general operations. For additional information on the various opportunities, please contact the Executive Director.
-
The purpose of this document is to describe several ways to make a gift to the Athenaeum as a charitable contribution that may have various advantages for the donor, particularly with regard to income tax deductions. Generally, gifts to the Athenaeum are deductible from income tax to the full extent of the law, although there are a few exceptions.
Ways to give include making a Qualified Charitable Distribution from an IRA account, a transfer of appreciated stock, a cash gift by check or credit card, a distribution from a Donor Advised Fund, and various types of deferred gifts. Please consult your financial advisor or tax accountant to see how one or more of the following mechanisms may be beneficial for you.
Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) If a person has an IRA account and is over 70 ½, a gift directly to a charity under the QCD rules may have certain advantages for the donor. The amount distributed counts toward the Required Minimum Distribution (required beginning at age 72), but it is not counted as income for tax purposes. Thus the donor may avoid being in a higher income tax bracket or a phaseout of other tax deductions. However, the gift is not deductible from income tax as a charitable contribution. An individual may make QCDs of up to a total of $100,000 each tax year.
Transfer of Appreciated Stock Giving publicly traded stock, rather than selling it and donating the proceeds, means that the donor does not have to pay capital gains tax on the stock. In most cases, capital gains tax rates currently are about 15% of the gain. Importantly, the full market value of the donated stock is tax-deductible as a charitable contribution. Contact the Executive Director for specific stock transfer instructions.
Check or Credit Card A cash gift by check or credit card is generally tax-deductible, less the value of goods or services received, if any. Many donors add the credit card processing fee to their gift to give the maximum benefit for the Athenaeum.
Donor Advised Fund Recommend a grant from your Donor Advised Fund to the Athenaeum, either on a one-time or continuing basis.
Pledge The Athenaeum counts an irrevocable pledge to give as income at the time the pledge is made, as required by current accounting rules. Recording the income may help the Athenaeum with regard to certain grant requests, for example. However, the donor can only deduct the amounts as a charitable contribution as they are paid.
Deferred Giving There are quite a number of ways to support the Athenaeum through a deferred or planned gift. They include beneficiary provisions in a will, trust, retirement plan, or life insurance policy, as well as a variety of life income arrangements. Consult your advisors for the particular methods that are most applicable in your circumstances. Please notify the Athenaeum’s Executive Director if such arrangements have been made so they may be properly acknowledged.
Other Assets Other assets, such as units of a limited partnership, non-publicly traded corporate stock, or life insurance policies, may be contributed to the Athenaeum. The Athenaeum currently does not accept gifts of vehicles. For further information, consult the Executive Director and your tax advisor.
The Library Association of La Jolla does not give legal, financial, or tax advice. Please consult your own advisors in connection with contribution and financial planning matters.
HOW TO DONATE
Click on the Make a Donation button or call us today at (858) 454-5872 or send your tax-deductible contribution to Christie Mitchell, Executive Director at the library, located at 1008 Wall Street, La Jolla, CA 92037. Please make checks payable to the Athenaeum.
Explore special naming and memorial opportunities, donations in honor of a loved one, or program sponsorships.
Thank you for being a part of the Athenaeum community.
Donate
HOME / ABOUT / DONATE
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library has been able to pursue its mission for over 124 years, and to undergo tremendous growth over the past three decades, thanks to the generosity of its donors. There are many ways you can help ensure the Athenaeum's future and maintain the high quality of its offerings. You may designate your tax-deductible contribution for a certain use, such as library collections, exhibitions, chamber music, jazz, new music, or education. Or you may wish to take advantage of one of our naming opportunities, or purchase a commemorative brick in our courtyard. Businesses and foundations are also welcome to become involved with the Athenaeum through support of the organization in general, or of specific programming. The Athenaeum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and all donations are tax-deductible.
HOW TO DONATE
Click on the Make a Donation button or call us today at (858) 454-5872 or send your tax-deductible contribution to Christie Mitchell, Executive Director at the library, located at 1008 Wall Street, La Jolla, CA 92037. Please make checks payable to the Athenaeum.
Explore special naming and memorial opportunities, donations in honor of a loved one, or program sponsorships.
Thank you for being a part of the Athenaeum family.
Naming Opportunities
HOME / ABOUT / DONATE / NAMING OPPORTUNITIES
SUPPORT THE ATHENAEUM
Thanks to the generosity of its donors, the Athenaeum has been able to pursue its mission for over 122 years and has undergone tremendous growth over the past three decades. We would like to ask you to consider supporting the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla and the Athenaeum Art Center in Logan Heights. Your contribution makes a lasting positive impact on the community by ensuring the Athenaeum's future and the high quality of its offerings.
Explore special naming and memorial opportunities, donations in honor of a loved one, or program sponsorships. Additional ways to contribute are listed below. Please contact Manager of Administration Jocelyn Saucedo Larson at jsaucedo@ljathenaeum.org or at (858) 454-5872 to discuss these opportunities with Executive Director Christie Mitchell. Thank you for being a part of the Athenaeum family.
NAMING
Leave a legacy by naming a space in the library.
$25,000 — Name the DVD Collection Space
$10,000 — Name a Book Stack
$5,000 — Name a Brick in the Courtyard
$1,000 — Name a new Stacking Chair for the Music Room
*If your favorite part of the library is not listed, please inquire.
PROGRAM SPONSORSHIP
$10,000 — Sponsor a Chamber Concert
$10,000 — Sponsor a Jazz Concert
$10,000 — Support Programming at the Athenaeum Art Center
$8,000 — Sponsor an Exhibition
$5,000 — Sponsor a one-time Lecture Series
$5,000 — Support our Youth Program at the Athenaeum Art Center
$5,000 — Support our Youth Program in La Jolla
$1,000 — Sponsor a Lecture
$700 — Sponsor an Acoustic Evenings Concert
$400 — Sponsor a Mini-Concert
$300 — Sponsor a Student for an Art Class
*If your favorite program is not listed, please inquire.
Volunteer
HOME / ABOUT / VOLUNTEER
We are always on the lookout for volunteers! Volunteer opportunities include library and secretarial work, as well as helping with book sales, art receptions, concerts, lectures, and other special events.
If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the online form below, or download and fill out the Volunteer Application Form, or stop by the Athenaeum at 1008 Wall Street, La Jolla, CA 92037 during normal library hours to pick up an application. The Volunteer Application Form can be delivered to the front desk at the Athenaeum, or it can be emailed to the volunteer coordinator, Carol Buckley, at cbuckley@ljathenaeum.org.
Employment Opportunities
HOME / ABOUT / EMPLOYMENT
There are no open positions at this time.
We are always open to new volunteers.