If you live in San Jose, seriously consider giving your car to one of the local charities listed here. They have all the car donation services that the larger car donation processors have, but if you give to them your donation will go to help your neighbors and San Jose in general. Giving locally makes more of a difference.



All the charities on this page have 503(c)(3) status under the IRS tax codes, so any donation to them can be deducted on your income taxes. They are also all rated by the online charity evaluator charity navigator and have received three or four star reviews for exceptionally good financial effectiveness and efficiency. In short, these places know how to use a dollar and will make the best possible use of your donation to accomplish their goals.

In addition to the charities listed here, if you have a local charity that you would prefer to support, call them and see if they might be able to use your car. If a charity actually uses your car or gives it to a needy person, or can make substantial improvements to a car before they sell it, then you can typically get a much larger ddeduction than if your car was just sold at auction, which is what 95% of the large car donation processing houses will do.


Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
2625 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA 95134-2107
408-468-0100
http://www.catholiccharitiesscc.org/donations/donations_auto.htm
All car donations support Refugee Resettlement Program. 4 star charity.


Sacred Heart Community Service
1381 South First Street, San Jose, CA 95110
(408) 278-2160 for offices | (866) 392-4483 to donate
http://www.sacredheartcs.org/donate/vehicle-donation
Works toward permantently ending poverty through volunteer support, empowering the poor and a number of specific programs designed to help those goals. They have a car donation program. 4 star charity.


Goodwill of Silicon Valley
950 North 7th Street between E. Hedding & Commercial Street
1-877-241-8753
http://www.goodwillsv.org/donate/donate-a-car
Has a car donation program run through GoodWheels. They must first inspect any donated car, truck, motorcycle, boat, camper, or recreational vehicle before it is accepted. Generally donated vehicles need to run and be in drivable condition. 4 star charity.


Breathe California of the Bay Area
1469 Park Ave. San Jose, CA 95126
408 998-5865
http://www.lungsrus.org/Support/vehicle_dontations.htm
Has been fighting against lung disease and trying to preserve air quality for Californians since 1911. They were originally known as the Tuberculosis Society and have operated under other names until 2005. They help teens cope with asthma and not start smoking, help adults quit, support other lung cancer charities and fund research for lung disease, in addition to actively speaking out for clean air policies. And they have a car donation program . 3 star charity.


Sacred Heart Nativity School
310 Edwards Avenue, San Jose, CA 95110
408.993.1293
http://www.shnativity.org/makeagift.php
Accepts gifts in kind. 3 star charity.


InnVision the Way Home
1900 The Alameda Suite 400, San Jose, CA 95126
408-292-4286
http://www.innvision.org/donate_newlikenew.php
Accepts gifts in kind. 3 star charity.