Your gift can help transform the experience of aging.
For more than 50 years, Kendal has been a leader in not-for-profit aging services, guided by Quaker-inspired values of integrity, equality, community, and stewardship. Today, across Kendal Affiliates and a growing System, we are entering a new era: investing in research, innovation, and people so that older adults everywhere can live with belonging, purpose, and vitality. Your gift helps make that future possible.
Why Give
Aging is changing. The people living it deserve a say in what it becomes.
Americans are living longer than ever. The number of people age 85 and older is projected to more than double, from 6.5 million in 2022 to 13.7 million by 2040 (Administration for Community Living, 2023 Profile of Older Americans), and the oldest Baby Boomers turn 80 in 2026. Those added years are one of the great achievements of our time. Too often, though, they come with a quiet loss: decisions made for older adults instead of with them, and a life that narrows when it does not have to.
Kendal has stood against that loss from the beginning. In 1973, when restraining frail older adults in beds and chairs was common practice in American nursing homes, Kendal’s first community chose not to. In 1989, a bequest from a Kendal resident, Dr. Emily T. Wilson, helped carry that conviction to Capitol Hill through Untie the Elderly®, a national campaign to free older adults from restraints. One resident’s generosity helped move an entire field toward respect and agency for every older adult.
That conviction still guides Kendal’s work. Every older adult, including people affected by dementia, should be able to make informed choices, have a real voice in decisions about the support they receive, and stay engaged in a life that is meaningful to them, wherever they live and wherever they are on their journey.
That is where your gift can make a difference and help change lives. Kendal is investing in research, signature programs, forward-thinking design, and strategic partnerships, in collaboration with Affiliates, so that older adults can live with belonging, purpose, and vitality. This includes new research on what it takes for people living with dementia to go on living fully. That work reaches someone living at a Kendal Affiliate, someone receiving Kendal at Home services, and someone still living independently in a house they have no intention of leaving. Technology and better-informed support are extending how long that independence can last.
Every Kendal Affiliate and The Kendal Corporation is not-for-profit. No shareholder takes a portion. What donors give is what allows Kendal to ask harder questions about aging than the market alone would ever fund. And because The Kendal Corporation works across the whole System, a gift here funds what no single community could do alone: testing new ideas across communities, developing leaders, and sharing what works with the wider field.
Your gift can work in multiple directions.
Give to a single Fund, or split your gift among several. Not sure where to start? The TKC Unrestricted Fund goes where the need is greatest.
- 1. The Promising Innovations Fund: It can fund the new ideas that change what aging can look like, tested inside Kendal and then carried to the wider field.
- 2. The Staff Development Fund: It can invest in the people who carry Kendal’s mission, sending a TKC team member to the conference, leadership academy, or training that shapes the rest of their career, so that what they learn reaches older adults across every Kendal Affiliate.
- 3. The TKC Unrestricted Fund: It can let Kendal meet a need the week it appears rather than the year after, as Kendal Charitable Funds did when COVID-19 arrived, helping Affiliates secure protective equipment and other urgent support.
- 4. The Endowment Fund: A gift in your will or another planned gift can build something permanent: an endowment that sustains this work for the generation now reaching its 80s and 90s, and for every generation after.
A Culture of Generosity
The Kendal System has always been values-based. Our commitment is “to foster a culture of generosity, encouraging and developing full use of time, talent and resources.” Giving is, at heart, a matter of values. It reflects the intersection of your personal values and those of The Kendal System, and beyond.
A History of Firsts
Kendal has long been at the forefront of the field of aging. The restraint-free approach (helping older adults maintain their independence) set a pattern Kendal still follows: prove a better approach inside Kendal, then share it with the field. Through the Pennsylvania Restraint Reduction Initiative alone, Kendal educated more than 40,000 aging-services professionals and reached 93 percent of the state’s nursing homes. Today, that work continues in dementia-inclusive design and cognitive health. Kendal does not wait for the field to change. Kendal helps lead the change. This is one of many examples of Kendal’s longstanding commitment to challenging convention and advancing the field of aging.
A Mission That Makes an Impact
Kendal advances aging services by developing talent, testing new approaches, and sharing best practices. The Kendal Leadership Fellows Program is an example of this commitment, bringing team members from across the System together for professional development and shared learning. Since its inception in 2012, the program has strengthened leadership, fostered connections, and driven innovation across the field.
Kendal has also extended this commitment to external organizations supporting older adults, from preventing elder abuse to enabling aging in place. This is how Kendal’s work reaches aging populations across the nation, and what it means to be a not-for-profit organization with a mission that extends far beyond its own footprint.
Voices from the Kendal Leadership Fellows community
“The greatest benefit may be what happens between Kendal Affiliates, when relationships become collaboration, when shared learning becomes innovation, and when individual leadership becomes collective strength.” – Lynne Giacobbe, Kendal Leadership Fellows Leadership Consultant
“This program has created a greater sense of self-awareness and reflection of the type of leader that I am, and the type that I want to strive to be. It has also helped me realize that I don’t have to be ‘perfect’ to be a strong leader, as we are all learning as we go.” – Erica Hawkins, Kendal at Oberlin
Hear from an organization that has received support from Kendal
“Partnering with Kendal allowed us to develop an aging-in-place, culturally relevant home assessment packet for those we serve.” – Joe, Red Feather Development Group
VALUES AT A GLANCE
What Guides Every Gift
Every Kendal gift is stewarded according to the same Quaker-inspired values that guide the System: simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship.
A System Built for Impact
Kendal Affiliates, a growing network of communities across the country, share a common foundation of values and stewardship while remaining locally governed and locally rooted. Your gift supports a System, not a single site, extending its reach to every resident and member it serves.
A New Chapter
In June 2025, Kendal Charitable Funds formally merged into The Kendal Corporation (TKC). Its mission is now carried forward by a newly formed Advancement Committee of TKC’s board. Philanthropy and operations now sit under one roof, which means your gift travels a shorter path to the work it was meant to support. The people who decide where a gift is needed most are the same people who see the whole System, every Affiliate, and every promise being kept.
Less distance between a gift and the people it is meant to reach. It is a structural change in service of a very old idea: that generosity should reach people directly and quickly.
Ways to Give: TKC’s Charitable Funds
Every gift to The Kendal Corporation can be directed to any or all of four (4) funds, each with a distinct purpose. Our online giving form lists every fund, including Corporate Sponsorships, so you can direct your gift to one fund or split it across several. If you would like your gift to benefit a particular Kendal community, you can do so by visiting the Affiliate community’s own giving program.
1. The Promising Innovations Fund
Established in 2007 through a gift from the estate of Janet Comey and named for Kendal’s founding executive director, Lloyd Lewis, this fund supports ideas that change the individual experience of aging for the better. Today, it supports emerging new approaches developed and tested within Kendal, including research on what it takes for people living with cognitive change to continue living fully. Lloyd Lewis’s own legacy, proving new approaches inside Kendal first and then carrying the evidence to the wider field, continues to guide how this fund is used.
Example of support: Your gift can fund the new ideas that change what aging can look like, tested inside Kendal and then carried to the wider field.
2. The Staff Development Fund
Created in honor of former CEO John Diffey’s long tenure and his belief in professional growth, this fund gives Kendal employees the chance to attend conferences, leadership academies, and other educational opportunities that build expertise in aging services and strengthen leadership across the System. Every recipient shares what they learned with colleagues, so the impact of a single gift multiplies across the organization. A gift here invests directly in the people who carry out Kendal’s mission every day.
Example of support: Your contribution can invest in the people who carry Kendal’s mission, sending a TKC team member to the conference, leadership academy, or training that shapes the rest of their career, so that what they learn reaches older adults across every Kendal community.
3. The TKC Unrestricted Fund
For donors who want to give Kendal the flexibility to respond to its greatest needs, the TKC Unrestricted Fund supports projects underway across the System that align with Kendal’s strategic priorities and its Values and Practices.
Example of support: Your gift can let Kendal meet a need the week it appears rather than the year after, as Kendal Charitable Funds did when COVID-19 arrived, helping Affiliates secure protective equipment and other urgent support.
4. The Endowment Fund
Established to support The Kendal Corporation’s long-term goals, the Endowment Fund is built to grow over time, ensuring Kendal’s mission is sustained for generations to come.
Example of support: A gift in your will or another planned gift can build something permanent: an endowment that sustains this work for the generation now reaching its 80s and 90s, and for every generation after.
A Story of Impact
Discover why so many choose to give through TKC’s Charitable Funds and how you can join them in making a meaningful impact today and for generations to come.
“I proudly support Kendal as one of my top philanthropic priorities. I have seen firsthand how individual gifts contribute to the benefits of aging in community for residents and their families. When you support Kendal, you can be sure your gift will help generations of older adults age with dignity and respect. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I can always trust funds will be well managed and directed to the exact purpose for which they’re designated.”
Julie Houpt – Chair, TKC Board of Directors Advancement Committee
Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts
Outright Gifts of Cash or Securities
An outright gift of cash or securities allows for immediate impact and, in many cases, a federal income tax deduction.
Naming The Kendal Corporation as a Beneficiary in Your Will
In 1989, one Kendal resident’s bequest helped launch a national campaign to free older adults from unnecessary restraints. A gift in your will can shape the future of aging in the same way. A bequest lets you express your personal values by combining your charitable and financial goals. It is a powerful future gift that costs you nothing today, and one you can change at any point during your life. You also have flexibility in how you designate a gift. You may choose to give a specific asset or amount, a percentage of your estate, or what remains of your estate after all other gifts, taxes, and fees have been paid. You can leave the gift unrestricted or specify how you would like it used, including directing it to the Endowment Fund so that it sustains Kendal’s work permanently. As with any estate or financial decision, please consult your own professional advisor before proceeding.
Sample bequest language:
“I give and bequeath to The Kendal Corporation (EIN: 23-2688382), located at 591 Collaboration Way, Suite 603, Newark, DE 19713, [__ percent of my estate, or the sum of $___, or all the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate]. This gift may be used for [a restricted fund, or the general purposes of The Kendal Corporation, or at the discretion of its Board of Directors].”
We Can Help
Let us provide you with more information about making a gift in your will, along with specific language to provide to your attorney (including our official legal name and address).
Charitable Gift Annuities
A gift annuity provides you or a loved one with income for life while ultimately benefiting The Kendal Corporation. Rates vary by age and are based on the American Council on Gift Annuities’ published tables.
Corporate Sponsorship Levels
Corporate sponsorship helps advance Kendal’s mission while making a meaningful difference in the lives of those served and supported by Affiliates and the teams who carry that work forward across The Kendal System.
| Sponsorship Level | Recognition |
|---|---|
| $25,000 | Deepen your impact and stretch every giving dollar further in support of Kendal’s mission. Receive all the benefits listed below plus premier logo placement and the added opportunity to share, in a video testimonial, why supporting Kendal’s work to improve the aging experience and raise the quality of support for everyone matters to your organization. |
| $15,000 | Your logo on TKC’s Giving webpage as a Sponsor, recognition in the annual report and across our social channels, and an opportunity to share your written testimonial and story of why giving to a TKC Fund and supporting Kendal’s work is important to your organization, to an audience that shares your values. |
| $10,000 | Your logo on TKC’s Giving webpage as a Sponsor, with recognition in the annual report and across our social channels, in front of the families, professionals, and communities who look to Kendal for guidance. |
| $5,000 | Your logo on TKC’s Giving webpage as a Sponsor, with your name featured in the annual report alongside the people and organizations making this work possible. |
Great Companies Give Back
Distinct in place, united by values. Join the companies making a difference.
“For nearly 40 years, Johnson Kendall Johnson has shared Kendal’s values. We’re proud to provide funding that supports the mission and changes lives. My father always encouraged us to make an impact in everything we do. Supporting those served by Kendal is a meaningful way to carry that forward.”
Bruce White – CEO, Johnson, Kendall and Johnson, Inc.
Thank you to our current sponsors
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Kendal Corporation a 501(c)(3)?
Yes, The Kendal Corporation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3). TKC is a supporting organization to the Affiliates within the Kendal System. The Kendal Corporation EIN: 23-2688382
How is my gift used?
Gifts are directed to the Fund you designate, or to the area of greatest need if undesignated. TKC’s Advancement Committee and Board of Directors oversee the stewardship of all charitable funds.
Can I give to a specific Kendal Affiliate?
Yes. Many donors have a relationship with a Kendal Affiliate rather than with the System as a whole. Gifts to The Kendal Corporation support the System; if you would like your gift to benefit a particular affiliate, please visit that individual affiliate’s website, where you can find an affiliate-specific online giving form.
Can I give stock or through a donor-advised fund?
Yes, you can give a gift of stock or a donor-advised fund. Contact us for brokerage transfer instructions. To request a DAF gift, the legal name of the not-for-profit you should use is “The Kendal Corporation,” and the EIN: 23-2688382.
Is my gift tax deductible?
Gifts to The Kendal Corporation are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. You will receive a written acknowledgment via email for your records.
What are my giving options?
You can give online through our secure giving form, or by mailing a check made payable to The Kendal Corporation.
If you prefer to write a check, please note your Fund(s) or Corporate Sponsorship Level preference in the memo line, and mail to:
The Kendal Corporation, ATTN: Diane Massey, 591 Collaboration Way, Suite 603, Newark, DE 19713
The Kendal Corporation EIN: 23-2688382
We are not able to accept gifts by phone.
Can my employer match my gift?
Yes, we welcome matching gifts.
Is my online gift secure?
Yes. Kendal utilizes a well-known and secure online giving platform that requires regular security checks and screens, so you can be confident your online gift is secure.
Can I give in honor or memory of someone?
Yes, you are more than welcome to give your gift in honor of, or in memory of, someone important to you.
Can I set up a recurring gift?
Yes, when you make your initial gift online, you have the ability to select the option to make a recurring gift on either a monthly or quarterly basis.
Will my gift be recognized publicly, and can I give anonymously?
You have the choice to give anonymously or be publicly recognized. You will also receive a personalized acknowledgment letter via email thanking you and recognizing your gift and generosity.
How do I include Kendal in my will?
Our Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts section above includes sample bequest language you can share with your attorney. This includes our legal name, address, and tax identification number. Please contact [email protected] for assistance or questions.
I am a Kendal resident, member, or employee. Can I give?
Yes, you can give to TKC as a Kendal resident, member, or employee. If you want to give to a specific Kendal affiliate, please visit that individual affiliate’s website, where you can find an affiliate-specific online giving form.
Who Can I Contact With Questions?
Diane Massey
The Kendal Corporation
591 Collaboration Way, Suite 603
Newark, DE 19713
[email protected]