Donating shares FAQs

Donating shares to Church Urban Fund is one of the most tax-effective ways to give money and help the vulnerable and disadvantaged.

What are the tax benefits for me and Church Urban Fund when I donate shares?

When you give shares to Church Urban Fund you earn an income tax exemption equivalent to the market value of the gift itself. Depending on your tax band, this can be worth as much as half of the value of the donation.

In addition, donating shares shelters them and any profit made on the original investment from Capital Gains Tax.

Are there any restrictions?

The shares or securities must be listed or dealt on a recognised stock exchange, units in authorised unit trusts, shares in a UK open-ended investment company or holdings in certain foreign collective investment schemes.

Unfortunately, it is not economically viable for us to accept shares worth less than £200. If you still wish to make a gift of these shares, please donate them to ShareGift. ShareGift is a charity specialising in accepting smaller number of shares and can be contacted on 0207 930 3737 or through their website at www.sharegift.org. Please remember to mention Church Urban Fund when making your donation.

How does the tax relief work?

Basically, if you make a donation to Church Urban Fund, we can reclaim the tax that you would have paid on the sum of money.  For instance, if you pay tax at the higher rate (currently 40%), it will only cost you £600 to make a donation of shares worth £1,000 to the Church Urban Fund.

Here are some examples:  

The examples given above are for illustrative purposes only. The tax benefits you may be entitled to will depend on your personal circumstances. You should consider taking professional advice to ensure that your gift to Church Urban Fund is structured in the most efficient manner.

What do I need to do?

• Speak to your financial adviser to find out if share giving would be a particularly tax-effective way for you to give. If you have a number of different shares in your portfolio, you might want to discuss which would be the most advantageous to donate.
• Contact us so we know about your planned gift. In some instances we might prefer to receive the shares themselves; in others, the income from their sale. If the shares are to be sold by you on our behalf, we will need to exchange letters as evidence of this agreement before the sale takes place.
• Print out and complete a Stock Transfer form (which you can download as a PDF using the link at the bottom of this page). You can also get a copy of the form from the Registrar of the company whose shares you hold - the details will be on the share certificate.
• Where the transfer form asks you to give the 'name and address of the person to whom the security is transferred’ please use the following: Church Urban Fund, Church House, 27 Great Smith Street, LONDON SW1P 3AZ.
• The completed form should be returned to Michelle Brissett at the same address.
• Keep a copy of the form for your personal records.

Please call us on 0207 898 1667 if you have any questions or would like to talk to someone about donating your shares.