Your Support Empowers the Next Generation of Innovators
For nearly 60 years, Talcott Mountain Science Center, Academy, & Research Institute has empowered advanced and curious minds through immersive STEM education, research, and outreach. From mountaintop classrooms and observatories to innovative research experiences, Talcott gives students the opportunity to ask bold questions, pursue new ideas, and develop the skills to make a difference in the world.
Every gift helps make that possible. Whether you support The Talcott Fund, join The Lodestar Society through a planned gift, or choose another way to give, your generosity strengthens the people, programs, and place that make Talcott unlike anywhere else.
Together, we can ensure that curiosity continues to thrive, discovery remains within reach, and future generations of learners have every opportunity to explore, innovate, and make an impact.
“Talcott’s mission statement is the story of my life. I was inspired by Talcott Mountain. I’ve been able to live that dream that you have when you’re 14 or 15 years old, and conveying to students that they can live that dream—and fulfilling their own potential, their vision of what they can be—is what every school should have as a mission.”
-Stephen Fantone, PhD, Member, Board of Trustees; Member, National Academy of Engineering; Talcott Mountain Science Center Alumni
The Talcott Fund
Fueling curiosity
Every great discovery starts with the everyday—a telescope ready when the sky turns clear, a teacher with the tools to follow a student’s question wherever it leads, a mountaintop that invites you to look closer. The Talcott Fund powers all of it.
Think of it as the engine behind daily life at Talcott. Your gift puts books on the shelves and technology in students’ hands; it fuels the professional development that keeps our educators at the leading edge; and it sustains the mountaintop campus and observatory where curiosity and discovery come to life.
From hands-on science and academic innovation to the arts, exploration, and faculty growth, the Talcott Fund provides the essential, flexible support we count on each year. Gifts of every size—from alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, and friends—sustain the people, programs, and place that make Talcott unlike anywhere else.
Together, these gifts ensure that Talcott continues to inspire the next generation of curious minds to question boldly, explore freely, and discover all they’re capable of.
Leadership Circles
The Launch Society* – ($100+) Alumni within 20 years of graduation
The Stargazers Circle – ($1,000-$2,499) Where leadership giving begins
The Summit Circle – ($2,500-$4,999) For those who lift Talcott towards its highest potential
The Observatory Circle – ($5,000-$9,999) For supporters who keep the next generation looking forward
The 1967 Society – ($10,000-$24,999) Named for Talcott’s founding year; sustaining leaders, year after year
The Founders’ Circle – ($25,000+) The visionary tier, for those who turn ambition into legacy
*The Launch Society is where Talcott’s young alums take their first step as supporters, with giving that powers the hands-on science and discovery that shaped them. Every great trajectory begins with liftoff. Join us, and help launch the next generation of curious minds.
The Lodestar Society – Planned Giving
Guiding the next generation of curious minds
For centuries, travelers found their way by the lodestar—the one fixed point of light that held steady while everything else moved. At Talcott, our lodestars are the supporters who look beyond their own horizon and choose to guide the generations that follow.
The Lodestar Society honors those who have included Talcott Mountain Science Center, Academy, & Research Institute in their will or estate plans. A planned gift is a quiet but powerful act: it asks nothing of you today, yet it becomes a lasting source of light—sustaining the hands-on science, the mountaintop observatory, and the spark of discovery that defines a Talcott education.
To leave a gift in your estate is to say that curiosity should never run out of room to grow.
“When I came to Talcott, I was looking for a space with a small group of individuals that really push me outside of my comfort zone, outside of my academic abilities, so I could grow both as a student and as a person—and that’s what I really felt I achieved at the school.”
-Sia Reddy, TMA Class of 2022
Ways to Give
From the mountaintop classrooms to the dome of the observatory, every gift to Talcott fuels discovery. Your generosity sustains the people, programs, and place across all three arms of our mission—the Science Center, the Academy, and the Research Institute—and keeps hands-on science within reach of every curious child.
Gifts of all sizes, from alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, and friends, make Talcott unlike anywhere else. However you choose to give, you help inspire the next generation of curious minds to question boldly, explore freely, and discover all they’re capable of.
Give Online
Support Talcott with a gift to The Talcott Fund, our annual fund—the engine behind daily life across the Science Center, the Academy, and the Research Institute. Make your gift online here.
By Mail
Checks made payable to Talcott Mountain Science Center, Academy & Research Institute can be mailed to:
Talcott Mountain Science Center, Academy & Research Institute
Development Office
324 Montevideo Road
Avon, CT 06001
By Phone
To make a gift over the phone, call 860-677-8571.
Recurring Gifts
A monthly gift is one of the most powerful ways to support Talcott–with steady, dependable funding that lets us plan ahead with confidence. Set up a recurring gift in seconds when you give online here–and adjust or pause it at any time.
Stocks and Securities
Donating appreciated securities is a tax-savvy way to support Talcott. By giving stock or other securities that have grown in value and been held for more than one year, you may reduce or eliminate capital gains taxes while receiving a charitable income tax deduction. To make a gift of securities, contact Jeff Martin at jmartin@tmsc.org for transfer instructions. We encourage you to consult your tax or financial advisor for guidance specific to your situation.
Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs)
If you have a donor-advised fund, you can recommend a grant to Talcott directly through your fund sponsor. Please use our legal name, Talcott Mountain Science Center for Student Involvement, Inc., and EIN 06-0860469. Reach out to Jeff Martin at jmartin@tmsc.org to let us know that your gift is on the way.
IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions
If you are 70½ or older, you can give directly from your IRA through a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)—up to the annual limit—without counting it as taxable income. A QCD can also help satisfy your required minimum distribution. Contact your IRA administrator to get started, and let us know to expect your gift.
Matching Gifts
Double your impact. Many employers match charitable gifts made by their employees, retirees, and board members. Check with your company’s HR or giving office, complete any required form, and your match can multiply your support for Talcott.
Gifts-in-Kind
Gifts-in-kind are non-cash donations of materials or assets that directly support our programs and campus—think lab equipment, telescopes and optics, technology, software, books, or specialized tools. To discuss a potential donation or review our Gift Acceptance Policy, please contact Jeff Martin at jmartin@tmsc.org.
Tributes and Memorial Gifts
Honor someone who shaped your love of learning–a teacher, a mentor, a family member–or remember a loved one with a gift made in their name. We’ll notify the person or family designated (gift amounts are not shared). Note your tribute when you make a gift online (add giving link) or contact Jeff Martin at jmartin@tmsc.org for more information.
Planned Giving: The Lodestar Society
By naming Talcott in your will, trust, retirement account, or life insurance policy, you join The Lodestar Society—donors who guide Talcott’s future and ensure the next generation of curious minds always has a place to look to. Document a bequest or beneficiary designation here or let us know you’ve already included Talcott in your plans by contacting Jeff Martin at jmartin@tmsc.org.
Pledges
Prefer to spread your gift out? Pledges may be fulfilled in a single payment or in installments by the close of our fiscal year on August 31. Reach out to Jeff Martin at jmartin@tmsc.org to set up a pledge schedule that works for you.
Designate Your Gift
Most gifts support the Talcott Fund, where they do the most good across our mission. If you’d like to direct your support to a specific area—the Science Center, the Academy, the Research Institute, scholarships, or capital improvements—contact Jeff Martin at jmartin@tmsc.org to discuss and learn more. We’d love to help you give to what you care about most.
Talcott Mountain Science Center, Academy & Research Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Founded in 1967. Questions? Contact Jeff Martin at jmartin@tmsc.org or 860-677-0035.