Giving Strategies for 2026 Tax Changes
We wrote previously about the major tax changes that are now in effect for 2026, including the new charitable deduction for filers taking the standard deduction, and the new threshold for itemizing charitable deductions. As you consider your year-end giving in this new deduction era, there are some strategies financial firms recommend:
Alternate your itemized giving years. Both Ameriprise Financial and Raymond James Charitable mention “bunching” your giving in a single tax year to increase your tax deduction. An additional technique Raymond James suggests is using a donor advised fund (DAF) to balance deduction incentives and giving patterns: concentrate your giving to a DAF in a single year for the largest tax deduction, and use that DAF to continue consistent giving in the non-itemized year.
Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) can support charities and lower your taxable income. If you are 70.5 or older (and retired), directing that distribution to a charity keeps the distribution out of your taxable income, instead of worrying about itemization strategy. Ameriprise notes that the strategy may be especially important if you are 73 or older and subject to required minimum distributions.
Remember the standard charitable deduction. Even if you do not itemize your tax deductions, there is a new tax incentive for charitable contributions: $1,000 for individuals and $2,000 for couples filing joint returns. Both firms point out that DAF grants do not count toward this deduction.
Finally, Raymond James also notes that gifts of appreciated stocks may be another good strategy to manage tax concerns while supporting charities. At the Primary Care Coalition (PCC), we are set up to accept those gifts through DonateStock. None of these recommendations are formal tax advice—please consult your own tax professionals for that—but we hope they are helpful as you plan your year-end giving to invest in our community.
We use the term “invest” not just because this is a summary of financial advice, but because that is how we see your gifts to PCC. They are opportunities to put your dollars back into our shared community, and buy more impact than each individual dollar could on its own.
For instance, one of the main ways we use general donations is to support new program design at the stage before it is fundable—when it is still conversations around needs we see and possible solutions. That stage is crucial for building the programs that grant funds will support, but it is rarely covered by actual grant funding. Ultimately, $5,000 in planning time can become $50,000 or more in a year-long grant that provides new services in our community. That makes your gift a critical investment.