Thank you for your interest in cultivating the Winterthur Museum collection. Below, please find our Collecting Policy, Potential Object Donation Form, and Object Donation FAQs.

Winterthur’s Collecting Policy

The Winterthur Museum collection honors the legacy of its founder, Henry Francis du Pont, and celebrates the artistic, artisanal, and historical aspects of America’s decorative and fine arts and material culture. More specifically, Winterthur collects:

  1. Decorative and fine art objects made or used in America
  2. Objects that have influenced American design, taste, and collecting
  3. Objects that represent America’s cultural diversity and global connections
  4. Objects with a history of use on the Winterthur estate, in the Winterthur Museum, or in the Winterthur garden

Such works should meet one or more of the following criteria:

  1. The finest workmanship and design
  2. The best example of a representative type
  3. A significant contribution to the story of the development of American arts and culture

Winterthur uses the collection:

  1. To furnish the house to reflect the collecting practice of Henry Francis du Pont
  2. To exhibit in the galleries
  3. To exhibit in the garden or other parts of the estate
  4. To support Winterthur’s academic and public programs
  5. To support research in American decorative and fine arts and material culture

Winterthur’s Object Donation Process

After reviewing the Collecting Policy, if you believe that an object or objects in your possession might find a good home at Winterthur, we encourage you to submit a Potential Object Donation Form. By filling out this form, you will provide valuable descriptive information, photographs, and backstory to help our curators in their review. This will help us process donations more quickly to make them available to our guests, graduate students, and visiting researchers as soon as possible.

Once you submit your Potential Object Donation Form, Winterthur’s curatorial staff will review your donation offer. 

Unsolicited Objects 

Please do not bring or send any objects that you wish to donate to Winterthur without making prior arrangements with a member of Winterthur’s collections staff. Unsolicited objects will not be accepted and will be considered abandoned property. Winterthur reserves the right to dispose of unsolicited items in accordance with Delaware’s Abandoned Cultural Property Act (Title 6, Chapter 50D).

Frequently Asked Questions

I submitted my Potential Object Donation Form. When can I expect to hear from Winterthur?

Due to the high volume of offers that we receive, please allow 8–12 weeks for our multi-step review process. For donation offers of interest, a member of Winterthur staff will contact you after a full staff review. We appreciate your patience.

What is Winterthur’s donation consideration process?

All donation offers are reviewed to ensure that the object fits within the museum’s collections policy and that Winterthur will be able to effectively use and care for it. Once the donation is approved, the donor will be contacted, acknowledged, and requested to complete the necessary paperwork. Object donations to Winterthur’s museum collection should be made on an unrestricted basis, meaning the donor has no intent to govern the terms or conditions of the gift. Winterthur considers the effective date of an outright gift to be the date of countersignature on the deed of gift.  

Will my object donation be tax deductible?

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library is a qualified charitable organization, and your donation is generally tax deductible. If you claim a deduction for a collections gift in excess of $5,000, you must obtain a qualified appraisal of the value of the object before you file your tax return. Please note that the appraisal cannot be made more than sixty days before the date of the contribution but must be completed before you file your tax return. Your claim for an income tax charitable deduction must be accompanied by IRS Form 8283. The donor is responsible for completing the IRS form and securing the signatures of an authorized Winterthur representative and the appraiser. For gifts valued at $20,000 or more (in the aggregate), you must submit a copy of the full appraisal with your tax return. To ensure that you receive the maximum tax benefit, it is recommended that you consult with your own accountant, attorney and/or the IRS. You may also consult IRS Publication No. 526, “Charitable Contributions,” and Publication No. 561, “Determining the Value of Donated Property.”

Can Winterthur appraise my donation?

No. Due to ethical and legal considerations, Winterthur staff cannot provide appraisals for object donations. As the owner of the object, you must obtain a valuation from a qualified appraiser prior to donation. Winterthur cannot cover expenses associated with an appraisal. To find an accredited appraiser who might best meet your specific needs, please consult the following organizations:

• Appraisers Association of America, (212) 889-5404
• American Society of Appraisers, (703) 478-2228
• International Society of Appraisers, (202) 241-0359

Can I ask that my object(s) remain on display permanently?

No. Winterthur does not accept donations with restrictions and thus cannot promise where, when, or how long your object will be displayed. Winterthur is an active research institution, and objects in storage are equally appreciated and studied by our graduate students, curatorial staff, and visiting researchers.

Can I ask for the object I donated to be returned to me in the future?

No. Winterthur cannot return accessioned donations.

Do you accept long-term or permanent loans?

No. Winterthur does not accept objects for long-term or permanent loans.

Do you accept promised gifts or gifts by bequest?

Yes, but in the course of planning a gift, you should contact the museum to ensure that your gift falls within Winterthur’s collections policy. You should also consult with your attorney or tax adviser to determine the ideal gift arrangement for your particular situation.

Promised Gifts

You may wish to commit to making a gift to the museum collections at a later date by signing a promised gift agreement. If the gift is not completed during your lifetime, the object will come to Winterthur upon your death.  A promised gift is a binding obligation and is not revocable. There is no tax deduction, however, until title and possession of the object is given in whole or in part to Winterthur.

Bequests

You may choose to leave an object to Winterthur in your will.  In such a case, you retain complete interest in the item with the freedom to sell or transfer it elsewhere during your lifetime. If the object remains in your possession, it will pass to Winterthur at your death, and your estate may receive a charitable tax deduction for its full market value.

Can I make a monetary donation to support the museum collection?

Yes! We welcome financial contributions to help us steward the collection. To give in this way, please visit our Ways to Give webpage, or contact our Development Office at contributions@winterthur.org or 302.888.4673.