FAQ

Baylor College of Medicine is a health sciences university that creates knowledge and applies science and discoveries to further education, healthcare and community service locally and globally. Our vision is to improve health through science, scholarship and innovation. You can learn more here.

Protecting and improving the health and quality of life for every individual – from those living in Houston, Texas, to children and adults across the United States and around the world – are the reasons Baylor College of Medicine was established more than 100 years ago. With a remarkable history of leadership in discovery, innovation and medical firsts, Baylor College of Medicine ranks among the top academic health science centers in the United States, is the leading medical school in the Greater Southwest and is a premier global health institution that is pushing the boundaries of medicine across education, research and patient care.

Yes, Baylor College of Medicine is a non-profit institution. The Internal Revenue Service granted Baylor College of Medicine exemption from Federal Income Tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The institution’s tax identification number is 74-1613878.

Our W-9 Form is available here.

The institutions’ most recent financial information is available from this link: IRS Form 990. View Baylor College of Medicine’s latest audited financial report.

The Office of Advancement is the fundraising department for Baylor College of Medicine. Our team is available Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central Time. You can reach us by phone at 713-798-4714 or by email at connect@bcm.edu.

You may email Dr. Klotman directly at president@bcm.edu.

Yes, you may request to control the types and frequency of communications you receive from our office. Please send your request to connect@bcm.edu and we will be able to help.

Yes. Please email connect@bcm.edu to update your contact information with Baylor College of Medicine.

Please send all inquiries about giving to connect@bcm.edu. We can help answer any questions you may have.

Please allow 7-10 business days for checks to be processed after mailing them to us. If it has not been processed after 10 days, please contact us at connect@bcm.edu or 713-798-4714.

Yes. Please send your gift information (date you sent donation, method of giving, name, etc.) to connect@bcm.edu and we can send you a gift receipt.

Please send your gift information to connect@bcm.edu and we can help update your recurring gift.

We are unable to refund past monthly donations. However, we can terminate your monthly gift at any time.

Yes, you may choose to make a donation to one of Baylor College of Medicine’s four mission areas – Research, Healthcare, Education and Community Outreach – or you may specify which faculty member, center or program you would like to support. Using the online donation form makes this process quick and easy. Or, you can download, complete and send us a gift form.

We accept donations in the form of cash, check, credit card, wire transfer, stocks, bonds and mutual funds as well as IRA charitable rollovers. Gifts made through your estate and matching gifts from an employer also are greatly appreciated.

Gifts made with a credit card can be completed quickly and easily by using our online donation form.

To make a gift by check, make the check payable to Baylor College of Medicine. Please print and complete our gift form and mail both items to one of the addresses below.

• For gifts of cash, print and complete our gift form and mail the form and cash to either address.
• For credit card donations, print and complete our gift form and mail the form to either address.

Baylor College of Medicine
Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs
MSC #800
P.O. Box 4976
Houston, TX 77210

If you are sending your check using FedEx, UPS, DHL or another delivery service that requires a street address, use this address for our bank’s lockbox instead:

BBVA Compass
ATTN: Lockbox – MSC #800, P.O. Box 4976
10900 Corporate Centre Drive, Suite 150
Houston, TX 77041

You also can deliver your check or cash in person or by courier service. Please contact the Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs at 713-798-4714 for directions.

Monthly giving is the most convenient way to give. By setting up your monthly gift, you can be confident in continually supporting Baylor College of Medicine. You can know that your support is working every day. If your situation changes for any reason, you can always contact our office to update your gift.

The easiest way to give monthly is to give online and select “Monthly” under the Gift Options section at the top of the form. The amount you select will be contributed to Baylor College of Medicine on a monthly basis until you request the donation be stopped.

To make a gift via an electronic transfer, please contact one of the individuals listed below for more information and bank instructions.
Anne Kathryn Zamkovsky, senior director of Gift and Estate Planning, at 713-798-8262
Paige Richards, assistant director of Gift and Estate Planning, at 713-798-8612
Tiki Boyd, senior coordinator, at 713-798-4570

When making a gift of stock, bonds or mutual funds, please contact our Gift and Estate Planning team at one of the numbers below for instructions.
Anne Kathryn Zamkovsky, senior director of Gift and Estate Planning, at 713-798-8262
Paige Richards, assistant director of Gift and Estate Planning, at 713-798-8612
Tiki Boyd, senior coordinator, at 713-798-4570

Note: Gifts of securities typically take several days to complete. Please consult your CPA or tax preparer to determine the tax implications of your gift.

There are several other ways to give that greatly benefit Baylor College of Medicine and which may offer tax advantages for you and your family. Such options include a gift to Baylor College of Medicine in your will or revocable trust; retirement plan or life insurance policy beneficiary designations; charitable gift annuities; charitable trusts; and gifts of real estate.

Please contact Anne Kathryn Zamkovsky, senior director of Gift and Estate Planning, at 713-798-8262 or Anne.Zamkovsky@bcm.edu for questions about estate giving.

Legislation permanently extended the popular gift option known as the IRA Charitable Rollover – a qualified charitable distribution from an IRA. Individuals age 70 ½ and older can make tax-free gifts totaling up to $100,000 from a traditional IRA account directly to Baylor College of Medicine.

Please contact Anne Kathryn Zamkovsky, senior director of Gift and Estate Planning, at 713-798-8262 or Anne.Zamkovsky@bcm.edu to learn more about planning and completing an IRA Rollover gift.

Many companies have programs that match all or part of their employees’ philanthropic donations. Some employers extend this benefit to retired employees. Before making your next gift to Baylor College of Medicine, check with your employer to determine its policy on matching gifts. To initiate the process, obtain a matching gift form from your employer and send it to Baylor College of Medicine with your gift or pledge. We will complete the matching gift process and send both the donor and the company receipts for tax purposes.

Please contact the Annual Giving team with any questions about letters you received in the mail with information on specific matched gifts. Please email connect@bcm.edu, and we will be able to update you with all current gifts that are being matched.

If you would like to donate any amount of cryptocurrencies to Baylor College of Medicine, please reach out to our office at connect@bcm.edu, and we will be able to assist you further.

If you would like to donate something to Baylor College of Medicine that is not a monetary donation (an “in-kind” gift), please contact Anne Kathryn Zamkovsky, senior director of Gift and Estate Planning, at 713-798-8262 or Anne.Zamkovsky@bcm.edu.

When filling out the online donation form, there is a section where you are asked if your gift is in honor of or a memorial for someone. You may type in the name of the honoree in this field.

There is no finer way to honor the memory of a loved one, celebrate a special event in the life of someone close to you or show your appreciation for a person who has touched your life than to provide for the needs of others. Each gift received is acknowledged to the person, or to the family of the person, in whose honor or memory the gift was made. The gift amount remains confidential. A separate receipt is sent to the donor. All gifts are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

Yes. A Donor-Advised Fund is an investment account used for charitable giving. It offers an immediate tax benefit to you and allows you the flexibility to grant funds to charities of your choice immediately or over time.

A donor will make an irrevocable gift to a fund maintained by a charitable organization and enjoy an income tax charitable deduction for the full amount of the gift. As the name implies, the donor can advise the fund regarding distribution; however, donors may not place material restrictions on the fund.

Please discuss the options of opening a Donor Advised Fund with a financial advisor. Many brokerage firms, community foundations and mutual fund companies will let you open a DAF.

Yes, the DAF donor receives tax documentation from the sponsoring organization of the DAF.

A minimum gift of $100,000 is required to establish an endowment. Please contact Cheryl Terry, senior director of Donor Relations, at 713-798-7384 or cterry@bcm.edu,for more information about how you can initiate this process. You can also visit our dedicated Endowments webpage. Endowments provide a perpetual source of funding for the designated program or faculty member.

The Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs is happy to assist with questions about endowment administration, including the spending policy, which allows Baylor College of Medicine to spend a consistent amount of the account balance each year, while preserving the endowment’s purchasing power over the long term.

The endowment’s corpus is comprised of the original gift and any subsequent gifts that are made to the fund. Market value is the corpus plus any income and market appreciation generated over time minus the distributions made by Baylor College of Medicine for the endowment’s purpose, as described in the endowment agreement.

Yes. The Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs can help determine the best funding option for you.

Yes. Many of Baylor College of Medicine’s endowments have been created through estate and retirement giving. Our Office of Gift Planning works with donors and estate planners to explore options to identify the best fit for the donor.

Baylor College of Medicine uses standard language for endowment agreements to ensure consistency in the management of the funds. As we work with you to establish the endowment we will discuss your preferences and suggestions. We cannot provide legal or financial advice, but we are happy to coordinate with your attorney to create an agreement.

When the endowment reaches the minimum funding level and starts generating spendable income, Baylor College of Medicine will provide you with information in an annual endowment report. Scholarship donors also receive a letter from the beneficiary of their scholarship endowment.

Privacy laws require that we protect the student’s and donor’s personal information. However, we often arrange introductions between willing students and donors.

The Partnership is comprised of donors who give at least $1,000 cumulatively to Baylor College of Medicine each year, or when Young Alumni give at least $500 annually.

All gifts to Baylor College of Medicine count toward your Partnership status.

No. After giving at least $1,000 to Baylor College of Medicine, you will automatically qualify as a part of The Partnership for the following year.

Once you give $1,000 cumulatively, you’ll be a part of The Partnership for the following calendar year. At that point, you’ll receive unique opportunities and communications based on your giving level. To receive an update on your total giving, contact us at thepartnership@bcm.edu.

If you miss a consecutive year of giving at least $1,000, your Partnership status will lapse. You can become part of The Partnership through cumulative giving of at least $1,000.

Please feel free to email thepartnership@bcm.edu.

We appreciate your interest in raising funds and bringing greater awareness to Baylor College of Medicine and its mission. Our guidelines for events initiated by individuals or organizations help to ensure these activities are appropriate and consistent with Baylor College of Medicine’s reputation and commitment to excellence.

For more information on holding a special event on behalf of Baylor College of Medicine, please contact our Special Programs team at 713-798-6104 or eventsteam@bcm.edu.

Fundraising pages at Baylor College of Medicine are a fun and easy way to encourage friends, family and other members of your community to make meaningful donations to Baylor College of Medicine. These pages are great ways to commemorate special occasions, enhance fundraising for an event or create a special tribute page for a loved one.

It is very simple to customize a page with your own words and photos. With any questions about these fundraising pages, please contact Quinn.Doran@bcm.edu.