The Illinois Press Foundation offers Illinois newspapers a program that gives Newspaper In Education donors and potential donors a choice in making contributions to help fund NIE programs in Illinois. The primary target of this program is to help Illinois Press Association member papers’ NIE programs fund classroom sets of newspapers to schools.

Donors now have the option of sending their gift to the Illinois Press Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization. Using the IPF as the recipient of gifts may allow individuals, corporations and foundations to deduct their donation as a charitable contribution.

Here’s how the program works:

1. Newspapers contact potential donors and offer the choice of sending their donation to the paper or to the IPF. Wording for solicitation letters or personal visits must include the following:
   
   The Illinois Press Foundation is a 501(c)(3) corporation. For Internal Revenue Service reporting, no premiums, goods or services were provided in consideration of your gift, and it is fully deductible to the extent allowable by law.
   
   IPF Tax Exempt Information
   
   The grant contribution form should accompany the check to the IPF.
   
   Download a Contribution Form
   
   
2. The IPF writes a check to the newspaper for the classroom sets sent to schools, up to the amount of the contributions received and earmarked for that newspaper. Distribution will be made within 45 days of receipt of donations.
   
   
3. Illinois Press Foundation will confirm receipt of donations to the donor and to the designated newspaper NIE program.
   
   
4. At this time, a 3% administrative fee is taken for the service. The donated funds earmarked for a newspaper’s NIE program will be granted back to the newspaper’s NIE program.

In addition to funding classroom sets of newspapers, donors may wish to broaden the reach of their grants by helping to fund teacher curriculum guides, tabs, or special NIE classroom projects. The donations must benefit school NIE programs directly.

Please note: The Audit Bureau of Circulation reminds NIE programs that all voluntary donations to NIE programs must not include any advertising benefit to the donor.

For more information about the IPF Partners In Literacy program, please contact Kim Filson, Illinois Press Foundation at 217-241-1300, or by email at kfilson@il-press.org.