DONATE

Your tax-deductible donations help the Museum every day by providing funds needed for the build-out of the museum and supporting the infrastructure, as well as regular operations on which all programs and collections conservation depend.  Contributions at all levels are welcome. Through your involvement and generosity, you are helping to assure the sustainability of National Lighthouse Museum for future generations.

Other ways to donate:

• By check, made out to National Lighthouse Museum
• Mail to:

National Lighthouse Museum
200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point
Staten Island, NY 10301-0296

• For gifts of stock, contact the Executive Director at 718-390-0040 for transfer instructions.

• If your employer has a Matching Gift Program, please consider taking advantage of it to magnify the impact of your gift. See your corporate program administrator for the proper form to initiate the process.

Questions? Call 718-390-0040 or email us.

PLANNED GIVING

What will be your legacy?

How will you be remembered?

How will you make a difference?

Each of us asks ourselves these questions. Of course, this leads to thinking about family, community, and meaning in one’s life. If lighthouses have been important to you, consider including the National Lighthouse Museum in your estate planning and help the Museum’s mission in a lasting way.

Planned gifts are typically classified by what asset is transferred (such as life insurance or real estate) or by the legal vehicle used (like a will or trust). Common forms of acceptable gifts are cash, publicly traded stock, life insurance policies, and retirement accounts.

The Museum has Gift Acceptance Policies that explain in detail what types of gifts can and cannot be accepted. Please contact us to request a copy, or for more information.

Most commonly, an individual will name the National Lighthouse Museum in his or her will, bequeathing a set dollar amount or set percent of the estate to benefit the Museum. (e.g., I hereby give and bequeath the sum of $25,000 to the National Lighthouse Museum; or I order and direct one-half of my estate to be distributed to the National Lighthouse Museum.)

Some people set up trusts to assist with their estate planning. A trust is a separate legal entity, and assets placed irrevocably into a trust are no longer part of a person’s own estate and thus avoid the probate process. Trust assets typically generate income to benefit that individual, or other named beneficiaries, until the time of the individual’s death; then the residual is transferred to a charity so designated in the trust. There are many ways to structure a trust to maximize tax savings, provide for one’s family and ultimately provide for a named charity; consult your estate planning attorney or contact your state’s bar association for a referral.

If you are interested in making a planned gift to benefit the museum, please contact Executive Director Linda Dianto at 718-390-0040.  The Museum will work with all donors to ensure that they are appropriately recognized and acknowledged for their planned gifts.

WISH LIST

The following is a list of the NLM’s current needs.

If you can help, please Contact the Executive Director at 718-390-0040. Be sure to include your name and phone number in the email as well as information about the item or items you can provide.

The Museum will provide you with an acknowledgment letter for your gift so that you can apply the contribution to your taxes to the extent provided for by current federal and your state’s laws.

Thank you for your help.

Our Wish List:

• Museum Lighthouse Mascot  – costume to wear at public events; tabling opportunities etc to promote the Museum
• Lighthouse Coloring Book Sponsor – designed, illustrated and printed
• Film Documentary on the USLH Service – site history
• Children’s Lighthouse Art Contest Sponsor
• Podcast/ Documentary on the anecdotal information from Kate Walker’s Family – Kate Walker is the famed local light keeper who tended to the Robbin’s Reef Lighthouse off the coast of Staten Island waters – can be seen in the NY Harbor
• Any USLHS or USLHE artifacts