Bronze PlaqueThe first step in donating a façade conservation easement to the Capitol Historic Trust is to contact the Trust donor relations representative Tim Maywalt, at (202) 276-8136 or tmaywalt@capitoltrust.org.
Your representative will meet with you to answer any questions you have concerning the program, assist you in the completion of the initial documentation and take digital photographs of your property. At that time, if you decide to go forward, you will be asked to sign a donation agreement and make a deposit that will be refunded if the Trust is unable to secure the necessary certifications and approvals needed to qualify your property for the donation. The first step rarely requires more than thirty minutes of your time.
The next step is for the Trust to obtain necessary approvals on your behalf. the Trust will apply for historic certification of the property from the State and Federal government and will seek the approval of any mortgage lenders you may have.
Once the necessary approvals are in hand, the donor must obtain an appraisal as required by IRS regulations. The appraisal determines both the fair market value of the property and the value of the easement (the value of the charitable donation for tax purposes).
Once the appraisal is complete, the Trust will send you a package with your final donation documents that you will sign and return along with a cash contribution to the Trust. In a few weeks, you will receive the necessary documents acknowledging your donation for your income tax return. You may also choose to have the Trust install its bronze plaque to display on your property commemorating your donation. 90 to 120 days following your easement donation, you should receive the recorded easement from the Trust after it receives it from the land records office.
The entire process takes four to five months to complete, although the personal time commitment of the donor should not exceed a total of 2 to 3 hours.