SUNY Impact Foundation

Priority Deadline: Wednesday, September 30, 2026

About the SUNY Impact Foundation Charitable Tax Program

A time-limited opportunity to donate to SUNY Purchase and receive an extraordinary tax benefit.

Individual donors who are New York State taxpayers with at least $10,000 in State tax liability are eligible to participate. Gifts from corporate accounts, family foundations, or donor advised funds are not eligible.

Gifts may be designated for an academic program, direct grants to students for unmet financial needs (but not scholarships or tuition), the Performing Arts Center, or another of your passion areas at SUNY Purchase.

More than $500,000 has been donated to Purchase since the tax credit initiative was launched!
Apply for the 2026 SUNY Impact Foundation program

What are the benefits?

Participating individual donors will benefit on both their 2026 New York State and Federal personal income tax returns:

• New York State
  85% of the qualified contribution(s) can be a tax credit and 15% of the qualified contribution(s) can be a deduction.

• Federal
  15% of the qualified contribution can be a deduction against your federal income tax, as well.
  
  

When is the deadline?

• The application to participate in this year’s program must be completed by the interested donor(s) and submitted to the SUNY Impact Foundation no later than 5pm (ET) on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
  
  

How does it work?

• First, complete the SUNY Impact Foundation 2026 application. Select Purchase State College as the institution you’d like to donate to.
• Complete the application no later than 5pm on Wednesday, September 30, indicating (a) your interest in supporting Purchase, (b) the amount you plan to give between $10,000 and $100,000, and (c) whether you intend to apply for a corporate match.
• In early October, SUNY Impact Foundation staff will notify you of your eligibility and the approved contribution amount based on the total of all requests.
  
  • If all applications received exceed the $10 million cap on the SUNY-wide program — as is expected — the SUNY Impact Foundation will prorate all requests accordingly. In 2025, donors were approved for 42% of what they requested. 
  • If all applications received are under the $10 million cap, additional application requests will be approved on a first-come, first-served basis through November 15 or until the cap has been met.
• After receiving authorization from the SUNY Impact Foundation, gifts must be completed by Wednesday, November 25, 2026.
  
  

How can donations to the SUNY Impact Foundation be made?

There are only three acceptable payment methods:

1. ACH/wire transfer from a personal account
   No corporate accounts, family foundations, or donor advised funds.
2. Stocks
   Evaluated value on the day of receipt is the actual donation amount regardless of its value the day donor submitted their request to their agent.
3. Credit card

Cash, checks, and in-kind donations are not accepted.

What else should I know?

• All donations are subject to a 2% SUNY administrative processing fee; additional fees apply for credit cards (3%) and stock gifts (brokerage fees).
• Please consider maximizing the amount you apply to give in consideration of the fees and likely proration.
• The SUNY Purchase Foundation will receive the grant monies from the SUNY Impact Foundation, less the administrative fee and any related credit card or brokerage fees, in February 2027. At that time, the monies will become available for their intended purpose.