Sam Rayburn Museum Historic Preservation Fund

Designed by Roscoe DeWitt, the Classical Revival museum building, constructed of white Georgia marble and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, features an interactive exhibit about Mr. Sam’s life and career as well as an exact replica of the Speaker’s office in Washington D.C. during Rayburn’s tenure. Designed to bring some of the aesthetic of the nation’s capital to Fannin County, the museum serves as a gathering place for students, families and visitors to learn about early- to mid-twentieth century Congress.

Charitable gifts help support historic preservation of the Rayburn Museum. Contribute today to the Sam Rayburn Museum’s historic preservation fund.

Give now

Please contact Lisa Avra to learn how you can help preserve the Rayburn Museum in perpetuity by establishing a new, named endowment for historic preservation. New endowments can be established with an outright gift of cash or stock, as a pledge of up to five years, or through a bequest or other planned giving method.

Many ways to make a difference.

Many ways to give.

The Briscoe Center offers a range of funding options. Customize your giving to meet your personal financial needs and philanthropic goals. You can fund your gift now, with a pledge, or defer payment until later through your estate.

Gifts for today

You can make an immediate impact today through a gift of cash, appreciated stock, from your IRA, or a grant from your family foundation or donor-advised fund (DAF).

Give now

Outright donations made online, by phone, or via check are the easiest to make and are tax-deductible in the year they are given.

Credit cards

Make a gift by credit card over the phone by calling 1-866-4utexas (488-3927) or give online at give.utexas.edu.

Check payments

Mail a check made payable to The University of Texas at Austin with “Briscoe Center-SRM” noted in the memo line. Please include a gift form [download here] or a letter stating your intended purpose to:

Briscoe Center for American History
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station
Mail Stop A3000
Austin, TX 78712

Giving appreciated securities, including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, is easy and can be extremely beneficial—both to you and to the Briscoe Center. If you have held the securities for more than a year and they have appreciated, giving them to UT Austin can provide a tax deduction and help you avoid capital gains tax. The University of Texas System Office of Development and Gift Planning Services coordinates gifts of stock and mutual funds on behalf of the Briscoe Center.

Please contact the university’s gift and estate planning office to make a gift of securities at giftplan@austin.utexas.edu or 1-800-687-4602.

With the IRA qualified charitable distribution (QCD), donors 70½ years old or better can take advantage of a simple, smart, and tax-wise way to help the students and faculty we serve. And, you can give up to $100,000 from your IRA directly to a qualified charity such as the Briscoe Center without declaring the amount as income.

For assistance with IRA charitable gift transfer instructions, please contact either Lisa Avra at (512) 731-2704 or l.avra@austin.utexas.edu or the university’s gift and estate planning office at giftplan@austin.utexas.edu or 1-800-687-4602.

You may be able to double or even triple your gift to the Briscoe Center. Many employers sponsor matching gift programs to match charitable contributions made by their employees.

To find out if your company matches your gifts, visit www.matchinggifts.com/utexas or consult your company’s human resources department. Complete the form provided by your company and mail it to:

Briscoe Center for American History
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station
Mail Stop A3000
Austin, TX 78712

Your company’s sponsorship of a particular Briscoe Center exhibition, educational program, special event, book, film or digital project makes it possible for the evidence of history in the center’s collections to be shared with a wide audience. Together, let’s plan strategic investments that can showcase your brand and align with your vision for impact. Learn more about sponsor benefits for Briscoe Center corporate partners.

A variety of foundations invest in the center’s mission of preserving the evidence of American history and facilitating its use in support of teaching and research with a gift or award grants in support of a special project produced by the center.

Your work as a UT Austin employee is the foundation of our campus community. You can build on it with an easy payroll deduction via the “Giving to UT” section of UT Direct.

Gifts for today and tomorrow

You can also make a pledge commitment to pay your gift over time—up to five years—thus spreading your tax-deduction over the pledge period with a payment schedule that works best for you.

Endowment donors have an eye to the future. Endowing your gift provides a solid, permanent foundation to sustain the work of the Briscoe Center and its libraries, archives, and museums year-after-year. Collectively, endowments of all sizes make a tremendous impact on the center’s long-term success.

Learn more about endowment gift opportunities benefitting the Briscoe Center.

Gifts for tomorrow

You can establish the purpose of your gift today and postpone payment until later through your estate plans. Some types of gift plans enable you to support the center, receive tax benefits, and sustain your current lifestyle. Visit www.utexas.planmygift.org to learn more about deferred gift options. Contact us or the university’s gift and estate planning office for assistance with planning your deferred gift benefitting the Briscoe Center at giftplan@austin.utexas.edu or 1-800-687-4602.

You can designate The University of Texas at Austin as a beneficiary in your will, living trust, or other estate plan document.

If you would like to leave a gift for the Briscoe Center in your will, you may use the language below. If you would like to designate your gift for a particular collection or program at the center, or establish an endowment with your bequest, please contact Lisa Avra, who can assist you with language and guidelines to convey your intent.

Sample language for your will:
I hereby direct $___ (or ___ percent of my residual estate) in cash, securities, or other property to the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System for the benefit of The University of Texas at Austin.

This gift shall be for the further benefit of the Briscoe Center for American History and shall be used to [purpose].

Tax ID number: 30-0710145

Retirement plan assets are a great way to support the Briscoe Center’s work because they help support the mission and they can provide tax relief for your loved ones too.

Money in an employee retirement plan or IRA has yet to be taxed. When a distribution is made to anyone (family or friends) other than your spouse, the beneficiary will owe income tax on the gift. In some states, combined federal and state income taxes could reduce the value of the IRA gift to a family member or friend by half.

Consider leaving appreciated assets to your friends and family and direct your taxable retirement-account assets to charities such as the Briscoe Center. As a nonprofit organization, we are tax-exempt and will receive the full amount of what you designate to us from your plan.

One of the easiest gifts to make, it only takes three simple steps to name the Briscoe Center for American History at The University of Texas at Austin as a beneficiary:

Contact your retirement plan administrator, insurance company, bank, or financial institution for a change-of-beneficiary form.
Decide what percentage (1 to 100) you would like the Briscoe Center to receive and name The University of Texas at Austin for the further benefit of the Briscoe Center for American History, along with the percentage you chose, on the beneficiary form. You can also make the Briscoe Center the contingent beneficiary so that we will receive the balance of your plan only if your primary beneficiary doesn’t survive you.
Return the completed form to your plan administrator, insurance company, bank, or financial institution.

If you are 55 years-of-age or better, you can transfer cash or appreciated securities to the UT Foundation for the further benefit of the Briscoe Center, and you are paid a fixed amount (with rates based on your age) annually for the rest of your life. And, you will receive a significant charitable tax-deduction during the year you establish the annuity. At the end of your life, the Briscoe Center receives the remainder of your gift. This type of gift provides security for you and your loved ones. Some of this income may be tax-free.

Charitable Remainder Trust

A charitable remainder trust allows you to transfer cash and appreciated securities, as well as property, to UT System or your bank/trust company. A charitable remainder trust typically pays income to one or more named beneficiaries for life or for a set term of up to 20 years, after which the remaining assets in the trust would go to benefit the Briscoe Center. This type of gift will provide you with an upfront charitable tax deduction and income for life while supporting the center’s work.

Charitable Lead Trust

You can transfer cash, appreciated securities, and/or property into a lead trust that makes gifts to the Briscoe Center for a number of years. You will receive a charitable deduction, and you or your family receives the remainder of the trust at a tax savings.

Real property

You can support the Briscoe Center’s mission with a gift of real estate, land, or minerals.

For more information about using a gift of real property to benefit the Briscoe Center, contact the university’s gift and estate planning office at giftplan@austin.utexas.edu or 1-800-687-4602.

Personal property: archives, collections, and artifacts

The vast majority of the Briscoe Center’s archives, collections, and artifacts were donated by generous donors passionate about making sure important historical evidence in their possession is available to future generations to study, learn from and enjoy. Many different kinds of donors including individuals, families, companies, foundations, and associations, have entrusted their personal papers, family or business archives, rare artifacts, and assembled collections to the Briscoe Center. Collection donations have been instrumental in building and enhancing the center’s archives. However, not all donated material, for a variety of reasons, is a good match for the Briscoe Center. Prospective collection donors are encouraged to contact us to discuss potential donations for the center’s archives.

Learn more about donating collection materials.