Give
Make a Gift
Letterform Archive would not be possible without your support. With your partnership, we can:
- Rescue important artifacts from obscurity or the dumpster
- Expand the design canon by acquiring work from underrepresented people, places, and scripts
- Preserve the collection by funding repairs and safe housing
- Underwrite digitization and expansion of the Online Archive
- Keep student tours free, and research visits open to all
- Support Type West scholarships to make design education more inclusive
- Fund exhibitions in the Bay Area and around the globe
Become a Member
Not a member of the Archive yet? Join today and receive all the benefits of belonging.
Make a Lasting Impact
Join a giving circle, receive a membership, and make a tax-deductible donation to the Archive to create a future of radical access.
Designer’s Circle — $2,500+
Amplify your impact with an investment in the Archive. Receive special invitations to private showings and more.
Curator’s Circle — $10,000+
All the benefits of membership and the designer’s circle plus an opportunity for recognition in a future publication.
Collector’s Circle — $20,000+
All the benefits of membership and curator’s circle plus an opportunity for customized naming opportunities and invitation to an annual privately curated event for you and your guests.
Leave a Legacy
Through a legacy gift, you can join other passionate supporters in ensuring access to the Archive’s collections, exhibitions, digitization, and programming for visitors for generations to come.
Retirement Plans
A retirement plan can be a tax-efficient and simple way of including Letterform Archive in your legacy giving plans. If left to anyone other than a spouse, retirement account assets may be subject to significant taxation. As a tax-exempt organization, the Archive will generally receive the full amount of the plan’s value. To name the Archive as a beneficiary, contact your IRA, 401(k), or other retirement plan administrator to obtain a beneficiary form. Donors who are 70½ years and older may also use their IRA to make qualified charitable contributions during their lifetime.
Bequests
One of the easiest ways to make a legacy gift is to include Letterform Archive in your will or trust. Your gift can be a specific dollar amount, securities, real estate, or other property. You can also designate the Archive as a beneficiary of all or a percentage of the remainder of your estate (a residuary bequest). Your bequest remains under your control during your lifetime and becomes irrevocable only at death. To make a bequest to Letterform Archive, it is unnecessary to rewrite existing documents — simply add an amendment, called a codicil, to your will or trust.
Suggested bequest language:
“I give (___________dollars) or (a specific asset, such as securities, real estate, or other property) or (all) or (___________ percent of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate) to Letterform Archive (tax ID 46-5519311), located in San Francisco, California (for the benefit of its general purposes) or (for the following purpose: ____________________________________)
Become a Sponsor
Your company can be a visible part of our community and inspire designers, students, and artists by underwriting the cost of their visits. Our sponsoring partners receive prominent recognition and great benefits for their teams.
We are deeply grateful for financial and in-kind support from Glyphs and RoboFont.
Donate Materials
Our collection has grown primarily through the generosity of material donations. We do not accept unsolicited donations, so please first contact our curatorial team and let us know what you have to offer. Currently, we are seeking process material, manuscripts, designer/artist archives, and rare type specimens — particularly featuring work from underrepresented people, places, and scripts. The more information you have about specifics and overall volume, the better. Photos are very welcome.
Trust & Nonprofit Status
Trust
Trusting a nonprofit with your money, time, or personal materials is essential. Here are some links to learn more about the Archive, its finances, and governance:
View our Board of Directors
Download our 2022 Form 990 Tax Filing
Download our 2022 CA Charity Renewal From RRF-1
Visit our GuideStar profile
Nonprofit Status
Letterform Archive is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your contributions to the Archive are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
Letterform Archive’s U.S. federal tax ID # is 46-5519311.
Download our IRS Exempt Status Determination Letter
Download our California FTB Exempt Status Letter
Download our Registration with CA Attorney General