Ways To Give
There are many ways that you can help inspire vulnerable youth through the arts. The Unusual Suspects depends on your generous support to continue our in-depth theatre workshops at sites throughout Los Angeles County. We thank you for any gift you are able to make. All contributions are tax deductible.
Please contact Development Director Ali Meisel at Ali@theunusualsuspects.org or 213-488-8488 x205 for more information on any of the gift options listed below.
Click here to see a list of all of our current donors.
Make a One-Time or Annual Gift
By making a one-time or annual gift in any amount to The Unusual Suspects, you will help provide arts education, afterschool programming and violence prevention training to some of Los Angeles County’s most at-risk youth. Your contribution will not only help inspire vulnerable youth to make positive life choices — but it will also be an investment in our community’s future.
- $2,000 sponsors one youth’s participation in a 10-week workshop, providing her/him with approximately 70 hours of intensive theatre arts mentorship in a safe and supportive environment.
- $1,000 provides matching funds for a partner site.
- $$500 provides costumes for one production.
- $250 provides our youth with a professionally bound script of their original play.
- $120 provides a special post-performance awards ceremony for our participants.
- $60 provides workshop supplies and materials.
Click here to donate online: 
If you would like to donate by check, please make checks payable to “The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company” and mail to:
The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company
617 S. Olive Street, Suite 812
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Matching Gift
Many companies match their employees’ charitable contributions to nonprofit organizations of their choice. When making a donation to The Unusual Suspects, contact your company’s human resources department to find out whether matching gifts are available. You will double the amount of your donation and double your impact on underserved Los Angeles County youth!
Honor or Memorial Gift
An honor or memorial gift is a great way to help provide critical theatre arts mentoring services to needy Los Angeles youth, while simultaneously recognizing someone special. You may make a gift in honor of a birthday, wedding, graduation or anniversary, or you may honor the memory of a loved one through a donation to The Unusual Suspects.
Stock Gifts
Gifts of stock held for more than 12 months can increase the impact of your donation. You will not only avoid paying capital gains tax on stock that has appreciated in value, but you will also receive a tax deduction for the full fair market value of the stock on the date of the gift. If you would like to donate stock to The Unusual Suspects, please contact the development department at (213) 488-8488, x205, for further information.
This information is not intended to be tax advice. Please contact your accountant if you are considering this type of gift.
Planned Gift
“The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.” ~William James
Leave a lasting, personal legacy by making a bequest to The Unusual Suspects in your will or living trust. Bequests allow you to make a deferred contribution to The Unusual Suspects, while simultaneously allowing you to remain in control of your assets during your lifetime and providing the potential to reduce your estate tax burden. If you decide to include a gift for The Unusual Suspects in a bequest intention, please contact the development department at (213) 488-8488, x205, so that we can be sure to thank you and obtain a clear understanding of your plans.
When including a bequest in your will or living trust, please:
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Use our full legal name, “Unusual Suspects Theatre Co.,” as well as our office address.
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Clearly state the amount or percentage you would like to leave to The Unusual Suspects and whether the gift is restricted to a particular use.
This information is not intended to be tax advice. Please contact your accountant if you are considering this type of gift.
Events
You may support our annual spring gala by purchasing a table, donating an item to our silent auction, live auction or raffle, sponsoring the event through your business, or buying individual tickets. Title sponsorship is also available.
Corporate Donations
There are many opportunities for a corporation to support The Unusual Suspects’ work with at-risk youth in the Los Angeles community. Companies can provide corporate contributions, sponsor our annual gala, underwrite youth performances, provide matching gifts for employee contributions, or provide in-kind services and supplies.
Foundation Giving
The Unusual Suspects relies on foundation donations, in part, to fund our theatre arts programming. Click here to see a list of our foundation supporters from September 2010 – September 2011.
In-Kind Donations
Support The Unusual Suspects by providing supplies and equipment to help us operate our programs.
Click here to view our Wish List.
Other Ways to Help
Volunteer To Be An Audience Member:
The Unusual Suspects relies on you — our funders, friends and supporters — to attend our performances in support of our participants. The audience is an integral part of The Unusual Suspects experience. When our participants see that a crowd of their friends and family, and even people they have never met, are there for them, they experience, what is for many, the first sense of accomplishment and positive social reinforcement that they have ever had. The deep pride they feel as they showcase their creative work is essential to The Unusual Suspects’ success. Please volunteer 2 – 3 hours of your day to attend a performance — and be a part of this key, transformational moment in our participants’ lives. Spread the word to friends and family, and show our youth that the community cares for them and is willing to support them in their endeavors!
Click here to view other volunteer opportunities.
