The American Cancer Society is fiscally responsible and accountable to our donors, supporters, and the thousands of people with cancer and their families we serve, as we fight to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. With your help, we're improving the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support, to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat and survive cancer. Get answers to frequently asked questions about donating to the American Cancer Society.
Tax-Related Questions
Are donations made to the American Cancer Society tax-deductible?
Yes, monetary donations to the Society are tax-deductible (including donations to events like Relay For Life or Making Strides Against Breast Cancer); however, certain donations in which the donor receives a good or service in return for a donation are not tax-deductible or maybe only partially deductible. This would apply to Society programs such as the Cars For a Cure program, Golf Pass programs, and Discovery Shop purchases.
What is the American Cancer Society’s Federal Tax ID number (EIN)?
The Federal Tax ID number (also known as an EIN, Employer Identification Number) 13-1788491. The American Cancer Society is a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt organization.
Memorial Giving Questions
How do I make a donation in honor or memory of someone?
It’s easy to celebrate the life of a friend or loved one by making a donation to the American Cancer Society in their honor or memory. Simply complete the information in the Gift Type portion of the donation form.
Is the family notified of my donation amount?
No. Once your gift is received, the American Cancer Society will promptly send a card to the honoree or family acknowledging your gift. The amount of money donated through memorial or honor donations is kept confidential.
Does the American Cancer Society have family addresses on file for memorial gifts?
Due to privacy laws, we are not able to keep addresses on file.
How long does it take to receive an acknowledgment card from the American Cancer Society?
Please allow up to two weeks for a paper card to be created and delivered by USPS. E-Cards are typically sent within 24 hours.
Planned Giving Questions
What assets can I use to make a gift to the American Cancer Society?
Generally speaking, during your lifetime you can make an outright gift of cash, securities, or other property (e.g., real estate, personal property). Through your will or with a distribution from a retirement plan or life insurance policy, your gift can be designated to the American Cancer Society in accordance with your wishes.
What tax forms do I need to make a planned gift?
To assist you and your financial advisor in structuring planned gift contributions, here is Form 8283, Form 8282, and a copy of the American Cancer Society's tax-exempt letter.
Monthly Giving Questions
Can I make monthly, automatic donations to the American Cancer Society?
When you pledge to give a specific monthly donation by credit card — in an amount you are comfortable with — you join a group of committed supporters helping to save 500 lives a day from cancer.
Monthly giving is easy!
- Use our safe and secure online form to join the fight against cancer today
- Talk with someone about a monthly donation, call 1-800-227-2345.
Why should I donate monthly?
Monthly giving to The American Cancer Society is simply the best cancer-fighting investment that you can make – it’s the most effective and manageable way you can support our efforts to minimize suffering from cancer. Your support funds lifesaving research and provides essential programs for prevention and early detection, patient support, and the trusted information cancer patients and their families need.
When will my credit card first be charged?
All monthly charges occur on the 15th of each month. Your first online gift won't be charged to your card until the 15th. All subsequent charges will occur on the 15th of each month.
Will I receive verification of my donations for tax purposes?
Monthly donors receive an annual statement reflecting the prior year's total contributions. This statement is usually mailed in February.
Once I've made an online gift to the American Cancer Society, how can I make changes to my account, i.e. change the amount, change my credit card number, or stop payment?
Call us at 1-800-227-2345 or live chat with us.
What if I need to stop giving? Can I stop whenever I want?
Yes, just let us know either by calling us at 1-800-227-2345 or chatting with us.
For all other donation-related or general questions, call 1-800-227-2345.
Cryptocurrency Donation Questions
How can I donate bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies to the American Cancer Society?
Currently, we accept direct donations of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and supported cryptocurrencies through our donation portal powered by The Giving Block. All that is required is the most basic knowledge of conducting cryptocurrency transactions and a desire to give. While we are working to streamline the giving process across protocols, we only accept direct donations through The Giving Block's system (which is built upon our Gemini exchange account).
Which cryptocurrencies do you accept?
Currently, we only accept cryptocurrencies specifically listed by The Giving Block. This list is subject to change and can be verified either within The Giving Block's widget or website.
Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), USD Coin (USDC), Dai (DAI), Dogecoin (DOGE), Basic Attention Token (BAT), Ethereum Name Service (ENS), 0x (ZRX), 1inch (1INCH), Aave (AAVE), Alchemix (ALCX), Amp (AMP), Ankr Network (ANKR), API3 (API3), Audius (AUDIO), Axie Infinity Shards (AXS), Balancer (BAL), Bancor Network Token (BNT), BarnBridge (BOND), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), ChainLink (LINK), Civic (CVC), Compound (COMP), Curve (CRV), Decentraland (MANA), Dogelon Mars (ELON), Enjin Coin (ENJ), Fantom (FTM), Fetch AI (FET), Filecoin (FIL), Gala (GALA), Gemini Dollar (GUSD), Injective Protocol (INJ), Keep3r (KP3R), Kyber Network (KNC), Litecoin (LTC), Livepeer (LPT), Loopring (LRC), Magic Internet Money (MIM), Maker (MKR), Mask Network (MASK), Merit Circle (MC), Mirror Protocol (MIR), Moss Carbon Credit (MCO2), Numeraire (NMR), Orchid (OXT), PAX Gold (PAXG), Polygon (MATIC), Quant (QNT), Radicle (RAD), Ren (REN), Render Token (RNDR), Shiba Inu (SHIB), Skale (SKL), Smooth Love Potion (SLP), Somnium Space (CUBE), Spell Token (SPELL), Storj (STORJ), SushiSwap (SUSHI), Synthetix (SNX), Terra (LUNA), TerraUSD (UST), Tezos (XTZ), The Graph (GRT), The Sandbox (SAND), UMA (UMA), Uniswap (UNI), Wrapped Centrifuge (wCFG), Yearn.Finance (YFI), Zcash (ZEC)
For cryptocurrencies that exist on multiple networks--like Polygon (MATIC), which exists as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum AND separately on its own network, which one do I donate?
Scrolling through the supported assets on The Giving Block widget will show whether or not the token is an ERC-20. In these cases, The Giving Block will likely accept the Ethereum (ERC-20) version of a token that lives on multiple networks. Always verify which one is supported before donating.
Is there a preferred cryptocurrency for donating? One which will do the most good?
To us, all direct cryptocurrency donations through The Giving Block are functionally the same since they're all converted to USD immediately and put to use in our mission sooner.
Is my donation refundable?
No. Blockchain payments are non-refundable by design. Always check the accuracy and authenticity of any address you're sending cryptocurrency to. This is the best practice for any bitcoin or cryptocurrency transaction.
Will I get a tax receipt with my cryptocurrency donation?
Yes, when you donate through our Giving Block portal, you will be prompted to submit your email to receive an automatic tax receipt.
Can I donate anonymously and still get a tax receipt?
Yes, if you wish to donate anonymously, you can submit only an email to receive an automatic tax receipt and provide no further personal information.
Can I donate the proceeds from an NFT charity auction or other Web3 application?
Yes, but with some consideration. For example, while split payments of NFT auction proceeds can be configured with our ETH address (which is fundamentally a Gemini exchange wallet), you would not be able to receive a tax receipt in this automated value flow. A bulk or recurring direct donation of auction proceeds would allow you to receive tax receipts. Also, bear in mind that web3 systems like NFTs or decentralized finance (DeFi) applications have their own considerations regarding taxes. For NFT-related tax situations, The Giving Block has published a basic overview.
Other Donation Questions
What is the address to mail my donation to the American Cancer Society?
American Cancer Society
PO Box 6704
Hagerstown, MD 21741
Does the American Cancer Society have a matching gift program?
Yes, we do have an Employer Matching Gift Program. You can also call us at 1-800-227-2345 for more information.
What is your refund policy?
Please contact us within 30 days from the date of your donation if you identify an error in the amount of payment or to report unauthorized use of your credit or debit card. We are available to assist you at 1-800-227-2345.
Can I donate my hair?
The American Cancer Society is not able to accept hair donations; however, there is an organization that we refer people to that can accept that type of donation, Wigs for Kids.
Does the American Cancer Society hold any charity watchdog ratings?
The American Cancer Society is proud to hold top ratings from Charity Navigator, the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, and Candid, all widely recognized and meaningful mechanisms to demonstrate our continuing commitment to accountability, transparency and ethical practices. Learn more.
