Gift of publicly traded stocks and securities

Donating public securities is a tax-smart way to support the University of Waterloo. Gifts of securities include publicly held shares, bonds, mutual funds and stock options, and can be made by your estate or during your lifetime. A gift of publicly traded stocks and securities can result in favourable tax credits.

• You can make a significant gift without having to pay capital gains on the appreciated value.
• When shares are donated directly, you receive a tax receipt for the fair market value on the day the shares are received by the University of Waterloo.
• These gifts have lower tax costs than if you were to sell the securities and then donate the proceeds.  

Example: You make a gift of publicly traded shares that were purchased for $10,000 and are now worth $50,000.

Note: table is accurate as of Nov 2023

The below table uses general figures for the purpose of illustration. This example assumes you have a combined federal and provincial marginal tax rate of 53.53 per cent (varies by province), and you have made other charitable contributions exceeding $200 in the current year.