Gifts of Grain

Steps to Make a Charitable Gift of Grain:

Following these specific steps will help ensure that your client receives the intended tax benefits from a gift of grain.  Failure to follow these steps may result in the IRS treating the transaction as a sale by the farmer resulting in a contribution of cash, rather than as a contribution of grain.  As a donor, your client should follow these steps to ensure that ownership of the gifted grain is transferred prior to sale and you receive recognition for your gift:

1. Contact one of the following individuals at the Nebraska Community Foundation to advise us that a gift is about to be made.

   Diane Wilson, Chief Financial & Administrative Officer 402-323-7333 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
   
   Doug Friedli, Director of Community Fund Development-Eastern Nebr. 402-323-7343 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
   
   Jana Jensen, Director of Community Fund Development-Western Nebr. 308-588-6299 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

   
   
2. Complete the Letter from the Producer Regarding a Gift of Grain (pdf) (doc) form notifying us that your client is making a gift of grain.  Indicate the quantity and type of grain being contributed and the affiliated fund (and related purpose) to which the contribution is to be directed.  Send the letter to the Nebraska Community Foundation, PO Box 83107, Lincoln, NE 68501-3107 with a copy to the treasurer of the affiliated fund to which the gift is directed. NCF can provide the treasurer’s contact information.



3. Ask the treasurer of the affiliated fund to send a Contribution Submission Form to NCF including your full name and address, the quantity and type of grain that will be gifted (NOT the dollar amount) and the account that your client wishes to benefit.



4. When your client delivers the gifted grain to the local elevator, tell the grain elevator to issue a storage receipt in the name of the Nebraska Community Foundation. The storage receipt is the evidence that ownership of the grain was transferred from the farmer to NCF.  Send the storage receipt to NCF at the address in Step 2.



5. Instruct the grain elevator that it must send the contract to sell the grain to the Nebraska Community Foundation for signature.  The contract can be mailed to the address in Step 2 or faxed to the attention of Diane Wilson at 402-323-7349. If the elevator does not use written contracts for grain sales, ask NCF to provide you with a completed Instructions to Grain Elevator for Gift of Grain (pdf) (doc) form. Because NCF owns the grain following your donor’s gift, he or she may not instruct the elevator to sell it.



6. Remind the grain elevator to issue the check for the sale of the grain to the Nebraska Community Foundation and send it to the address in Step 2.