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Contact Us About Tax Credits

Kelly King, Grants Specialist
(410) 685-1653

Qualify for a Maryland Tax Credit

Get Something Back While Giving

When you give $500 or more, you may qualify for a Maryland tax credit.

Maryland Humanities has been awarded $25,000 in Community Investment Tax Credits that can be distributed to qualifying donors—both individuals and businesses—now through the end of 2016. Gifts in support of our in-school educational programs for youth—Letters About Literature, Maryland History Day, and One Maryland One Book—may qualify.

MAKE A CITC GIFT TODAY

FAQ

  • What is a CITC?
    A Maryland Community Investment Tax Credit is a straight reduction in the amount of your Maryland state income tax liability, equal to 50% of your qualifying gift. Verification that both you as a donor and your gift qualify for a CITC is required.
  • How can Maryland Humanities offer CITC to donors?
    Through a competitive application process administered by the Maryland Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD), nonprofit organizations are awarded tax credits that are then passed along to their donors who make qualifying gifts. Both individuals and businesses may be eligible to redeem CITC. Maryland Humanities was awarded $25,000 in credits for use through 2016.
  • What level of giving qualifies for CITC participation?
    The minimum gift amount to qualify for a CITC is $500, though Leadership Circle membership begins at the $1,000 level.
  • If I give, how will I benefit?
    Your CITC-qualifying gift decreases your tax liability in two ways:

    1. You are still entitled to claim a deduction equal to 100% of your gift on both your federal and state tax filings.
    2. You also receive a tax credit equal to 50% of your gift. For example, if you make a $1,000 Leadership Circle gift, you receive a $500 CITC. If your Maryland state income tax at the end of the year is $2,500, it would be lowered by $500 to $2,000. If the amount of your CITC exceeds your Maryland tax liability, you may apply it in filings for up to five tax years.

  • How do I collect my tax credit?
    After making your gift, Maryland Humanities will send you a certification form from the state with your acknowledgement letter. You’ll complete the form and send it back with any appropriate documentation (e.g. copy of your cancelled check or credit card receipt). Maryland Humanities will send it to DHCD for processing. Upon approval, DHCD will send your authorized form back to you, which you’ll need when filing your taxes. Please note that to claim your CITC, the state requires you to file your taxes electronically using a pre-approved vendor. A list of approved vendors can be found online at taxes.maryland.com.
  • Who can I contact with questions regarding CITC?
    Christopher J. Kolb, CPA—Manager, Taxpayer Media Section
    Comptroller of Maryland, Revenue Administration Division
    ckolb@comp.state.md.us or 410-260-7755

  • “Lifelong learning is continuing to read, listen, learn, share ideas, discuss, and be enlightened by the great ideas and events of the human experience during the course of an entire life.”

    ​Maryland Humanities survey participant

  • “[The humanities] provide us with tools and perspectives to analyze and interpret social phenomena with different lenses; they open up perspectives we may not have thought about and help us look at issues in more empathic ways.”

    ​Maryland Humanities survey participant

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    ​​Maryland Humanities survey participant

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    ​Maryland Humanities survey participant

  • Humanities matter because humanity matters. The best thoughts, the highest questions, the most profound actions of courage and sacrifice are found in written accounts, art, and creative expressions throughout the ages. To study the humanities is to study oneself in a way that develops cultural literacy, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.

    ​Maryland Humanities survey participant

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  • “[Lifelong learning] means that we are forever students, constantly discovering, researching, exploring, and challenging ourselves.”

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    ​Maryland Humanities survey participant

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    ​Maryland Humanities survey participant

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  • “Lifelong learning is a philosophy, practice, and lifestyle that I’ve long advocated for in both my professional and personal lives. In the rapid pace, constantly changing, technological, social, and cultural environments we find ourselves in, a continuous adjustment to change is necessary. Lifelong learning is essential to understanding where we’ve been, where we are, and where we want to go, both as individuals and as a society.”

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