Retirement Assets

Making a Qualified Charitable Distribution from your IRA

If you are at least  70 and ½ years of age, you can turn the required minimum distribution (RMD) from your regular IRA into a gift for The Cooper Union. Simply instruct your fiduciary to transfer your distribution directly to The Cooper Union. Checks should be made payable to:

The Cooper Union EIN 13-5562985

Ask your financial institution to mail your check to:

The Cooper Union
P.O. Box 22422
New York, NY 10087

By making this qualified charitable distribution (QCD) to The Cooper Union, you can avoid income tax on your IRA withdrawal while providing essential support to our students and faculty.

Your QCD amount may be used to satisfy your RMD for the tax year in which your QCD is delivered to Cooper, but please note that 401(k) and 403(b) plans are not eligible for this gift. Total QCDs for any individual must not exceed $100,000 in a single calendar year. 

Designating Cooper as a Beneficiary of your Retirement Plan

You can designate all or a portion of your retirement plan to The Cooper Union by adding us to your designation of beneficiary form. Ask your fiduciary how to obtain and complete this form. 100% of your gift is tax free, avoiding costly income taxes imposed on your heirs should they be designated beneficiaries. You can designate The Cooper Union as the beneficiary of other assets as well. 

The information contained herein is not intended as legal or tax advice. We recommend that you consult with your attorney or financial advisor for questions concerning your individual situation.
 

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.