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Help preserve our past and shape the future

When you make a gift to The Arts Council, you play an essential role in our mission to continue its legacy which began in 1976 by offering one of the best experiences of arts and culture in welcoming historical environments that inspire and delight.

Discover the many ways that your gift to The Arts Council will continue to build a lasting legacy. Whether you’re interested in supporting a specific exhibition or program, becoming an Individual or Corporate Sponsor, making an Annual Fund gift or including us in your estate plans, know that your gift helps us to inspire and educate audiences of all ages through performances, exhibitions, educational programming and continued care of our historical venues and performance spaces.

The Arts Council is a non-profit 501(c)3 charitable organization. Contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law. (Tax exempt number: 58 1163155)

Individual Giving

Legacy Planning

The Smithgall Arts Center and the historic First Methodist Church (Sanctuary) stand as extraordinary examples of legacy at its finest. Lessie and Charles Smithgall generously gifted these treasured properties to The Arts Council, along with a seed endowment to ensure their care. Through her will, Lessie further provided funds to begin restoration of the historic church. Her vision was clear: that these beloved spaces remain dedicated to presenting unique arts and cultural experiences for the entire community.

You, too, can create a legacy that ensures The Arts Council continues to enrich the lives of students, families, and future generations. Planned gifts not only make a lasting difference but may also provide meaningful tax advantages or income benefits for you and your loved ones.

There are many simple ways to leave such a gift—through your will or living trust, gifts of life insurance or retirement assets, and more. Whatever form it takes, your legacy will help keep the arts alive and accessible for years to come.

Gifts of Stock

Using appreciated stock is an excellent way to make a gift to The Arts Council because it offers significant tax benefits without affecting your cash flow.

Gifts of stock or appreciated assets
Many donors choose to make gifts of appreciated stocks or mutuals rather than giving cash to offset their capital gains even further. Like giving cash, donating appreciated stock can offer a sizeable charitable deduction. When you donate appreciated assets directly to a charity, the receiving organization gains the full proceeds from the sale, and you eliminate any realized capital gains that would’ve occurred if you sold that asset and instead donated cash. These assets can also be used to fund a charitable trust or a life income agreement.


Transfer of Stock
Before transferring stock to The Arts Council, please notify us of your intentions and the details of your gift, including stock type and number of shares to be transferred.  We will need this information to properly credit you and issue a receipt for tax purposes. 


For more information on making a gift of stock, contact:
Advancement & Engagement staff at 770.534.2787 or pamela.wl@theartscouncil.net

Qualified Charitable Distributions 

Qualified charitable distributions from your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) are current gifts with an immediate impact. Often referred to as "IRA Charitable Rollover Gifts," these gifts are distributions paid directly from an IRA to a nonprofit.

If you are 70½ or older, you can transfer as much as $100,000 per year from an IRA directly to The Arts Council—without counting this transfer as taxable income.

If you were 70½ before January 1, 2020, the qualified charitable distribution counts toward your required minimum distribution (RMD). If you are 70½ after January 1, 2020, you do not have required minimum distribution until age 72. If you do not meet your RMDs, IRA owners face a large tax penalty. This means you would either withdraw those amounts (increasing your taxable income) or donate them as a qualified charitable distribution.

The most common way to make this gift is to submit a request to your IRA custodian. For more information on Qualified Charitable Distributions to The Arts Council, contact: Advancement & Engagement staff at 770.534.2787 or pamela.wl@theartscouncil.net.

Corporate Giving

Extend your reach to new customers, receive public recognition, and build community goodwill through sponsorship of the Arts Council.  The options listed below provide promotional opportunities for your company to benefit from name placement in front of a premium audience at the Smithgall Arts Center.  Build your brand, receive valuable recognition, and support great events and programming for our community. Contact Pamela Williams-Lime for details at 770-534-2787 or pamela.wl@theartscouncil.net

Performance Sponsorship

Exhibition Sponsorship

Sponsors play an important role in supporting exhibitions and bringing important artwork to Northeast Georgia. Exhibition Sponsors are recognized in many highly visible ways, enhancing their profile and demonstrating their commitment to the arts.

  • Annual Hall Couty Artist Educator Exhibit -through October 17

  • Lee Anne White - November through February

Event Sponsorship

Throughout the year, the Smithgall Arts center hosts a variety of exciting events.  Event sponsors support popular programming and receive valuable recognition from key audiences.

  • ARTWALK - April

  • Wine Tasting - February

Thank You to Our Sponsors

  • Logo for Carroll Daniel Construction with a stylized globe or sphere above the text.
  • Clipper logo with a blue and green compass rose symbol to the left of the word 'CLIPPER' in bold blue letters.
  • Business card for Stribling-Whalen Financial Group with address and website
  • Layson Air Conditioning & Plumbing Inc. logo with a stylized sun in orange and yellow and the company name in blue.
  • Logo for J&J Boot Barn Hall at Bourbon Brothers in Gainesville.
  • Windsor Wealth Planners & Strategists logo with stylized initials W and W
  • Logo for Branch House Tavern with red and yellow flames above the text.
  • Logo for Easy Out Bonding featuring a stylized star with five points, with the company name in red and gray text, and a tagline 'You ring Wespring' with a phone number (770) 535-7060.
  • Ameriprise Financial logo with text for Private Client Advisory and website PrivateClientAdvisory.com.
  • Logo of Minncey Marble Manufacturing Inc. with a circular icon and text.
  • Northeast Georgia Health System logo with green leaves above the name.
  • Jackson EMC logo with blue text and a yellow triangle design
  • Logo of the National Endowment for the Arts
  • A glass of red wine and a beer mug with a decal that reads 'CVL' inside a heart, with the text 'Downtown Drafts' below.
  • A logo with the words 'FOX GIVES' in large burgundy letters, with 'FOX' in a vertical burgundy badge outlined in gold.
  • Logo for re-cess southern gastro-pub, featuring text inside an oval shape.
  • Logo for Indigo Energy with the word 'Indigo' in large green letters and 'energy' in smaller orange letters, with a small sunflower icon above the letter 'o'.
  • Roy C. Moore Foundation logo with elegant blue cursive text and smaller uppercase text underneath
  • Peach-shaped logo with a green leaf, featuring the text 'Peach State Bank & Trust'.
  • Hilton Garden Inn logo with a stylized leaf design in red and gray text, located in Gainesville, Georgia.
  • AWTREY MEDIA GROUP logo in blue, orange, and gray text on a white background.
  • Logo for The Law Offices of Blake A. Poole with initials BAP in gold and black.
  • Logo of Morton Vardeman & Carlson with business services listed: Strategic Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations.
  • Stylized cityscape of buildings with the text 'Main Street Gainesville' underneath.
  • Logo of Georgia Council for the Arts.