@phildonnia wrote:
You cannot deduct gifts to specific people, even if it is "charitable". Only contributions to a 501(c)(3) organization are considered "charitable contributions" by the IRS.
Well, to get pedantic about it, there are a couple of other tax codes under which an organization may be tax exempt and eligible for deductible donations. You can search here,
https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/
Also, you can deduct donations to "US and state government", including branches of government, even though they won't be listed in the Exempt Organization database, and this can include your local fire department, possibly a state hospital, town parks and recreation department, public schools, and similar organizations.
