How to Give

Visit our online donation page to make a gift through credit card or direct debit. You can also set up a recurring donation to give on a monthly or quarterly basis. The Meridian School is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law. Our tax ID number is 91-1005629. To cancel a recurring gift, please email us at development@meridianschool.edu.

Address checks to “The Meridian School.” Please drop off checks at the front desk or mail them to 4649 Sunnyside Ave N #242, Seattle, WA 98103.

Donating appreciated stock (stock that has increased in value since you purchased or received it) to a non-profit organization can be a tax-efficient way to support a cause you care about without impacting your cash flow.

Here’s how it works:

• You own stock that has appreciated in value
  • For example, you bought shares of a company for $1,000, and now they’re worth $5,000.
  • You’ve held the stock for more than one year (this is important – it must be long-term capital gains for maximum tax benefit).
• You donate the stock directly to a qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit like The Meridian School
  • Instead of selling the stock yourself and donating the proceeds, you transfer the shares to the nonprofit’s stock platform (instructions for transferring shares are provided below).
• You get a tax deduction and avoid capital gains tax
  • You can generally deduct the fair market value of the stock on the date of the donation (in this example, $5,000). This deduction applies if you itemize deductions on your tax return.
  • You only itemize if your total itemized deductions exceed the standard deduction. Other common itemized deductions include mortgage interest and property taxes. For reference, the standard deduction for tax year 2025 is $15,750 for single and married filing separately taxpayers, $23,625 for head-of-household taxpayers, and $31,500 for married filing jointly taxpayers.
  • If you sold the stock yourself, you’d owe capital gains tax on the $4,000 gain. By donating it directly, you don’t pay any capital gains tax at all. The Meridian School (or other nonprofit) also doesn’t pay any tax when we sell the stock, because we are tax-exempt.

Here are the instructions to donate stock:

• Please send notification of the intent to transfer stock to the Meridian School before transferring securities by emailing development@meridianschool.edu or accounting@meridianschool.edu. Please provide the following information:
  • Donor name
  • Broker’s name and contact information
  • Name of securities that will be transferred
  • Number of shares that will be transferred and the date of transfer
  • Purpose of the gift (e.g., annual fund, endowment, other)
• Provide your broker with the following transfer information:
  • Custodian: Charles Schwab
    Account name: 子午线学校
    Account #: 6264-8913
    Depository Trust Corp (DTC): 0164
    Schwab contact: 1-800-435-4000
    Garde Capital, Inc.
    1301 5th Ave, Suite 3030
    Seatle, WA 98101
    206-552-7900 (office)
    206-552-7909 (fax)

Contact your human resources office to determine if your employer offers a matching program. In Seattle, many companies will match their employees’ charitable gifts, which multiplies your contribution to Meridian. Some local companies with matching programs include Adobe, Boeing, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Expedia, Google, Microsoft, and Starbucks.

A donor-advised fund (DAF) is an investment account held at a public charity (e.g., Fidelity Charitable) used to support charitable organizations. Unlike stock donations made directly to The Meridian School, donations made from a DAF to The Meridian School cannot be included in your itemized deductions (i.e., there is no tax benefit for a donation or “grant” made from a DAF).

Requesting a donation or “grant” to The Meridian School from your DAF is simple. Each fund organization provides the appropriate forms to complete these donations, which you can usually access via your online portal or by working with your fund advisor. You will need to provide the following information to your DAF organization:

• Legal Name: 子午线学校
• Federal Tax ID: 91-1005629
• Mailing Address: 4649 Sunnyside Ave N # 242, Seattle, WA 98103
• Name of Campaign: Monarch Fund 

For any donation from your DAF, please also send the information below to accounting@meridianschool.edu. 

• Full Name:  
• Address:
• Email:
• Estimated Donation Date:
• Total Gift $ Amount: 

Contact us to pledge a gift intended to be paid at a later date, or set up a payment plan.