Dale Farland, VP, Oracle Schools Foundation
This month is Thanksgiving and we are grateful for all our blessings. We think of charities that need our help. Provided below is a legal way to reduce your Arizona (AZ) income taxes while helping local charities/nonprofits. It is a win-win! A win as you help a charity and a win for you in reducing your AZ income taxes.
The following are a couple of the local charities/nonprofits that have been designated Arizona Qualifying Charitable Organizations (AZQCO):
Oracle Schools Foundation (OSF)
IMPACT of Southern Arizona
What does donating to an AZQCO charity mean to you? It provides you with the opportunity to direct your tax money to these local charities and receive a tax credit—dollar for dollar—off your AZ income taxes. You can take this tax credit now or before April 15, 2027.
There are a few restrictions to follow and you should always discuss this with your tax advisor. The 2026 limit is $1,009 for married couples and $506 for single individuals. For 2027, the limit amounts increase to $1,022 for married couples and $513 for single individuals.
What if I want to donate to several charities? You can! You just cannot exceed the total tax credit amount. For example, you donated $200 to SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) for their annual food drive last March and plan on $100 for their holiday gifts. If you are married, that means that you can still donate an additional $709 to other charities such as the Oracle Schools Foundation (OSF) for your 2026 AZ tax credit limits.
How about donating some of the tax credit amount to both the OSF and to IMPACT of Southern Arizona? Both organizations can certainly use the money to help with their mission of helping children and families living in the Copper Corridor.
Donating to the Oracle Schools Foundation (oracleschoolsfoundation.com) helps this entity meet their budget goals to provide free KinderPrep (preschool) scholarships to 3- and 4-year-old children of Oracle. The annual budget just for KinderPrep is over $120,000. In addition, OSF helps fund Accelerated Reading and Enhanced Math for students K-8 at Mt. Vista elementary school in Oracle. This school is a Title I school meaning the majority of the families are low income.
The Oracle Schools Foundation annual Gala brings in approximately $70,000 of this budget. So additional funds are necessary to meet our mission goals. The 2027 Gala is scheduled for Friday, March 26, 2027.
If you have questions, feel free to contact Dale Farland at Lesdalejef@aol.com.
Let’s help out local charities while saving money on your Arizona income taxes!