> Ways to Help
The work of the McDowell Foundation has been made possible by the generosity of many people who understand the value of educational research to the improvement of teaching and learning in our schools.
We would like to thank everyone that has contributed to the McDowell Foundation. Thank you, without you we could not support teacher-led research in Saskatchewan!
Thank you to our donors!
The McDowell Foundation is a registered charity (#133638734 RR0001). Our legal name is Dr. Stirling McDowell Foundation For Research Into Teaching Inc.
The Foundation accepts gifts of many different kinds, and these are listed below. For gifts of a more complex nature, we highly recommend always having conversations with your family, lawyer, financial advisor, or accountant. If you have any questions or require further information, please contact us: 306-373-1660.
> Gifts
We welcome one-time, monthly, or memorial donations by cash, cheque, or credit card.
To donate in person or to send by mail, our office is located in the STF Building at 2317 Arlington Avenue, Saskatoon, SK S7J 2H8
For More information, please contact us at 306-373-1660
CanadaHelps is a safe and reliable online donation platform.
CanadaHelps enables you to give:
- Monthly
- Immediately in a lump sum
- In honour or in memory of someone special
- Via Mastercard, Visa, American Express, or PayPal
Visit our CanadaHelps page at: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/27926?v2=true
Transferring securities from your brokerage account to the Dr. Stirling McDowell Foundation for Research Into Teaching Inc. eliminates your capital gains tax. This generates greater tax savings than if you sold the securities and then donated the cash proceeds.
Before you make a donation of securities in the form of shares or mutual funds, we recommend that you seek professional advice from your tax or financial advisor. Topics to discuss include Canadian regulations that enable down market capital losses to be carried back three years and to forward indefinitely to offset capital gains.
For more information on transfer of securities, please contact the foundation.
The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation 2019-2023 Provincial Collective Bargaining Agreement provides the authority to deduct voluntary contributions to the McDowell Foundation from any school division employee who is under contract with a school division and receiving salary payments on a regular basis.
Payroll deduction forms are available at all school board offices or can be requested from the Foundation.
The Foundation gratefully accepts gifts in honour of a loved one. If you would like to designate the Foundation as a charity of choice in honour of a loved one, please contact us. Memorial envelopes are available upon request or to give a memorial gift online, go to:
You can make a donation to recognize or celebrate special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, retirements, or other career milestones.
To give a tribute gift online, go to: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/27926
The Foundation recognizes the importance of ongoing sustainability and invites donors to consider contributing to the growth of the endowment fund through an endowed gift. The Foundation will retain this capital contribution for 10 years.
Please contact the Foundation for more information.
The Foundation also gratefully accept gifts provided to support areas of research within the mandate of the Foundation. In the past gifts have been directed to literacy, visual art education, or middle years education.
If you would like to offer a directed gift, please contact the Foundation, and we can support you in ensuring your gift is used according to your wishes.
> Gifts for the Future
By far the most common form of giving a legacy gift is through a gift in your will. With prior planning, your will can provide for your loved ones as well as ensure that the work of the McDowell Foundation continues to benefit Saskatchewan students far into the future.
To ensure your wishes are fulfilled, we advise you seek professional advice from your lawyer, financial planner, and/or estate planner related to options for your gift and clear will language. Talking to your loved ones and us about your plans is also beneficial to all involved.
Options for a gift in a will (bequest) include leaving a particular sum of money, a specific asset such as property, or a certain percentage of your estate.
Your estate will receive a charitable receipt for the gift that reduces the taxes owed.
Download the McDowell Foundation PDF for more information and clarity on will language to use when leaving a gift.
Donors who decide to leave a gift in their estate are invited to join as Founding Members of the McDowell Foundation Legacy For Learning Society. To find out more, please contact the Foundation.
People usually buy life insurance to protect their loved ones, and sometimes this is no longer required. Those with an interest in enhancing the quality of learning for Saskatchewan students, may name the McDowell Foundation as a beneficiary.
To gift life insurance, your options include:
- Naming Stirling McDowell Foundation for Research Into Teaching Inc. (our legal name) as beneficiary of a policy enables benefits to be paid directly to the Foundation. This is the simplest form of donating a policy. Giving this way entitles your estate to a charitable donation receipt, avoids probate taxes, and minimizes the risk of creditor claims against the estate.
- Donating an existing life insurance policy involves designating Dr. Stirling McDowell Foundation for Research Into Teaching Inc. (our legal name) as the owner and beneficiary of an existing policy that you no longer need. You will receive a charitable receipt for the policy’s cash surrender value. If further payments are required, you will receive a charitable donation receipt for the payments you make after the McDowell Foundation becomes the owner and beneficiary.
- Donating a new policy purchased with Dr. Stirling McDowell Foundation for Research Into Teaching Inc. (our legal name) as the owner and beneficiary. If you choose this option, you will receive a charitable donation receipt for the full amount of all premiums paid.
We recommend you discuss the life insurance options with your family and your professional advisors.
Your estate is entitled to a charitable donation receipt when you name Dr. Stirling McDowell Foundation for Research Into Teaching Inc. (our legal name) as the direct beneficiary of a RRSP, RRIF, or TFSA.
This option avoids probate taxes and minimizes the risk of creditor claims against the estate.
Setting up such a donation is as simple as asking your financial advisor or financial institution to change the beneficiary to Dr. Stirling McDowell Foundation for Research Into Teaching Inc.
Depending on your holdings, it is possible to donate property, buildings, land, or a residence that you own.
Your options for gifts of real estate are:
- Making an outright or immediate donation.
- Providing a gift in a will.
- Selling the real estate, then donating the proceeds.
To learn more about donating real estate along with what we can and cannot accept, please contact Ellen Whiteman at ellen.whiteman@stf.sk.ca or 1 800 667-7762 or 306 373-1660 in Saskatoon.
> Our Gratitude
The work of the McDowell Foundation is made possible by the generosity of many people. We thank all of our donors and funders and encourage you to join us in supporting this research.