As we look ahead to another exciting season at the Hiway Theater, we are grateful for the community support that helps sustain everything from technical upgrades to the films and events audiences enjoy throughout the year. As a nonprofit cinema, we are able to bring amazing films, conversations, and special experiences to our screens year-round thanks to donor support.

(Photo credit: Sergio Herrera)

This edition highlights the many ways supporters can help sustain the Hiway Theater’s future - from supporting essential improvements to strengthening the programs that keep our theater thriving.

Certain giving methods outside of traditional methods (writing a check or making a contribution online) have been growing in recent years, but not everyone is aware that they can give through these alternatives.

Did you know you can support our theater through a Donor-Advised Fund? You may even already have one and not realize it. Donor-Advised Funds, sometimes called Charitable Giving Accounts, are philanthropic accounts often managed through financial institutions like Fidelity Charitable, DAFGiving 360 (formerly Schwab Charitable), National Philanthropic Trust, or Vanguard Charitable to name a few.

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) allows you to set aside money specifically for charitable giving. Each contribution to your fund is tax-deductible through the fund the year it is made. Contributions to the account can be invested to grow potentially tax-free, and you can recommend grants to nonprofit organizations like our theaters at any time. Many donors appreciate DAFs because they make supporting the causes you care about simple, flexible, and organized all in one place.

If you already have a Donor-Advised Fund, recommending a gift to the theater is often as easy as logging into your fund provider’s online portal, searching for our organization, and recommending a grant in just a few clicks! DAF giving is an easy and flexible way to sustain the arts year-round while supporting the films, education programs, special events, and community experiences that help our theaters thrive.

Please note that, under IRS guidelines, Donor-Advised Fund grants must be fully tax-deductible and therefore cannot be used for goods or benefits with a non-tax-deductible value, including those included with our Benefactor and VIP-level memberships. As a result, DAF gifts may only be applied to the tax-deductible portion of these memberships and cannot be used toward member benefits or other non-deductible perks.

In addition to Donor-Advised Funds, some supporters may also choose to make gifts through an IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). Like DAFs, IRA QCDs are another thoughtful, tax-advantaged option for supporting the theater.

A QCD allows individuals aged 70½ or older to direct funds—up to annual IRS limits—directly from their IRA to a qualified nonprofit like our theaters. These gifts can count toward required minimum distributions (RMDs) while excluding the donated amount from taxable income, making them a particularly tax-efficient way to give.

Another potential way to give is through a giving fund with a local Community Foundation, which is similar to a DAF. These organizations are typically focused on a specific geographic area and help connect donors to needs in their area.

As you think about your charitable giving this summer, we encourage you to check whether you already have access to a Donor-Advised Fund through your financial advisor, employer, or investment accounts. For any questions about making a gift through a Donor-Advised Fund or IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution in support of the Hiway Theater, please contact our Development Director, Lauren Nonini, at lnonini@hiwaytheater.org.

Hiway Theatre, Inc is our legally registered name and our tax identification number (EIN) is 82-0587897.

As you consider supporting the theater, we also want to share a glimpse of what your gift can help make possible in the year ahead to keep the theater vibrant, accessible, and thriving.

We are pleased to share that, thanks to the generous support of donors during our 2025 year-end campaign, we successfully reached thePhase 1 goal of our projection booth upgrades. This important milestone ensures that we can continue delivering high-quality film presentations while laying the groundwork for future improvements. This first phase focused on replacing aging and outdated equipment to keep the Hiway running at the highest standard for both new releases and classic films. While the projector itself will be addressed in a future phase, this year’s priority was upgrading the critical supporting equipment that makes every screening possible. This included new digital servers, sound processors, A/V interfaces, and lighting dimmers. These improvements are essential to our mission of showcasing film as an art form.

Following the projection booth upgrades, our next priority is replacing the lobby carpet. Since reopening in 2003, the Hiway has welcomed more than 600,000 patrons, and the lobby carpet—an important part of the theater’s first impression and historic character—has naturally begun to show its age. Replacing it will restore both the visual appeal and welcoming atmosphere of the space, ensuring the Hiway continues to feel like a vibrant destination for downtown Jenkintown.

(Photo credit: Sergio Herrera)

As with all our improvements, the theater relies primarily on individual contributions to maintain our historic facility, and ensures the Hiway remains a place where audiences can gather, discover, and experience cinema together. Whether you’re a longtime cinephile, a supporter of local arts, or simply someone who loves the magic of the movies, your support has a lasting impact on the Hiway’s future.

(Photo credit: Sergio Herrera)

Whether through personal donations, Donor Advised Fund gifts, or IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, your support helps ensure that these programs, films, and community offerings continue to grow and evolve for years to come. Thank you to all of our members and donors who make the Hiway Theater a community staple.