How To Help

WAYS TO DONATE

To make a current donation or pledge to the Carmel Mission Foundation, simply download the donation form. After printing it, please fill in your information and mail with your donation to:

Carmel Mission Foundation
P.O. Box 221351
Carmel, CA 93922

Or, you may donate online by credit card. Just click the “Donate” button below and follow the instructions.

Additionally, you may call the Foundation Office directly at (831) 624-3261 to make your donation by credit card.

PLANNED GIVING

Many friends of the Carmel Mission Foundation extend their financial support to preserve the Carmel Mission for future generations through charitable planned gifts in their wills, trusts, estate plans, or with other types of life income or outright gifts. Such gifts can offer tax benefits during the donor’s life and/or reduce estate and inheritance taxes. (See Planned Giving Options for more information on various types of charitable planned gifts.)

Charitable planned gifts are used by the Carmel Mission Foundation to support the restoration and preservation of the historical buildings and artifacts of the Carmel Mission. It is the Foundation’s objective to develop the financial reserves to ensure the work Junípero Serra started, and Harry Downie resurrected, is preserved into perpetuity. Your bequest will help ensure this legacy.

HARRY DOWNIE SOCIETY

Harry Downie (1903-1980) was the curator charged with directing the second restoration of the Carmel Mission, beginning in 1931. He devoted over five decades of his life to this endeavor and, according to multiple sources, the Carmel Mission Basilica is one of the most authentically restored of all the mission churches in California due to Downie’s dedication. He is buried in the Mission’s cemetery.

Individuals who provide for the Foundation in their estate plans will be recognized as members of the Harry Downie Society, and with their permission, their name will be listed and associated with that special group of people that wanted the Carmel Mission preserved for future generations, just as Harry Downie had envisioned. The members list of the Harry Downie Society will be permanently maintained and housed inside the Mission complex.

If you have already included the Foundation in your estate plans, please notify us so that we may thank you. For more information about the Foundation’s planned giving program, contact the Foundation’s office at (831) 624-3261 or email your request to: info@carmelmissionfoundation.org
 

THE SERRA MEMORIAL

COMMEMORATING THE 300TH ANNIVERSARY OF JUNÍPERO SERRA’S BIRTH IN 1713

The Serra Memorial is intended to be a permanent reminder of the life of Junípero Serra, the historic significance of the Carmel Mission, and a caring public’s commitment to maintain it into perpetuity. The Memorial consists of the Serra Memorial Wall and the Serra Memorial Circle. In the center of the Circle is the original Ave Maria bell, cast in Mexico City in 1805 and retired in 2010 after it became cracked.

Construction began on the Serra Memorial in 2011 as part of a multi-year/multi-million dollar capital campaign to fund the restoration and preservation of the historic Carmel Mission. Major donors to this campaign have their names inscribed on bronze plaques on the Memorial Wall, or names and messages engraved on tiles in the Memorial Circle.

Serra Memorial

SERRA MEMORIAL WALL PLAQUES

The Serra Memorial Wall consists of five large bronze plaques. Four of these plaques are designated for donors of $5,000 or more, and the fifth and center plaque is designated for donors of $25,000 or more. All of these plaques have been filled.

SERRA MEMORIAL CIRCLE TILES

There are four tile sizes available in the Serra Memorial Circle: 8 inches by 8 inches, 8 inches by 16 inches, 16 inches by 16 inches, and 16 inches by 24 inches. Pricing for these tiles are $6,000, $12,000, $25,000, and $50,000 or above, respectively. See Engraving Requirements for information on number of lines, letters, and engraving costs per tile.

SERRA MEMORIAL REGISTER

All donors, regardless of donation amount, will have their names inscribed in the Serra Memorial Register to be permanently placed in the Serra Library at the Carmel Mission – the oldest library in California.

DONATIONS OPTIONS

Donations may be in either cash or pledges. In order to qualify a pledge for a place on a tile, the first year’s pledge payment must be received (e.g., 20% of the total pledge for a five-year pledge; 25% for a four-year pledge; 33% for a three-year pledge, and 50% for a two-year pledge).

VOLUNTEERS
The Foundation is seeking volunteers to help with a variety of activities. If you are interested in further information about volunteering some of your time to assist the Foundation in this worthy cause, please contact the Foundation Office to make arrangements.    POWERPOINT PRESENTATION The Foundation has prepared a PowerPoint presentation on the history of the Carmel Mission and the latest restoration project. If you would like to have a member of the Foundation make a presentation to your group, please contact the Foundation Office to make arrangements.    THANKS TO OUR DONORS We are deeply grateful and want to express our thanks to the many who have already contributed to this restoration project. (See the Cornerstone Newsletter for a listing of our donors to year.)