DONATE A PIANO

Thank you for your interest in donating a piano! We are passionate about finding pianos new homes, and while we would like to accept every instrument, we must provide quality instruments that can bring a family or community organization a positive interaction in a sustainable way. Often, this means making the decision to decline a piano that is either too expensive to repair, too old, or too difficult to move. Unfortunately, we cannot usually arrange for quick pick-ups and we have a carefully considered process which includes the inspection of the piano by a qualified technician. We cannot accept organs or player pianos.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA TO DETERMINE IF YOUR PIANO MAY SUIT OUR PROGRAM.

We only accept pianos that meet the following criteria:

  • In the St. Louis area
  • Under 50 years old
  • In very good condition
  • Located on a first floor, or has access to an elevator
  • Has been stored in a climate-controlled space, not in a garage or other unheated, uncooled space
  • From a non-smoking environment
  • Does not have a player piano mechanism
  • We accept consoles, consolettes, studios, and sometimes grand pianos.
  • We cannot accept full-sized upright pianos (typically 48″ tall or above) because of their size and weight, and we cannot accept spinet pianos (typically 36″ – 40″ tall) due to their “drop action” which makes service very difficult.

If this sounds like your piano, please fill out the Piano Donation Application, including the serial number (this tells us the age of the piano) and submit 3 photos of the piano, including a front view, an inside view, and a top view of the keys.

If you have any questions regarding your piano donation, please feel free to contact our Piano Donations Coordinator, Danny Ravensberg, at [email protected]  or 314-616-7688.  Thank you!

Locating the Serial Number

If you have an upright piano, please consult the following diagram:

If you have a grand piano, the most common place to find the serial number is underneath the music rack. Try to removing or sliding the music rack to expose the gilded plate underneath, then consult the following pictures to help you locate the serial number.
Sometimes the serial number is stamped on the soundboard underneath the strings.
Kimball pianos may have a specialty location behind the keybed. This is looking from the tail-end of the piano.
Or Contact:  Danny Ravensberg – [email protected] or Telephone: (314) 285 5852

Donated Pianos as a Tax Deduction

Pianos for People has tax exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; therefore, donations of cash and goods are tax deductible. EIN: 47-4084512

Pianos for People is unable to provide tax advice, and we recommend that you consult a tax specialist to clarify guidelines for donating an instrument. It is the responsibility of the donor to determine the fair market value of the instrument, and for claims of more than $5,000, you must have the instrument formally appraised. As the beneficiary of the donation, IRS regulations prohibit Pianos for People from providing an appraisal. Unless an appraisal is provided to Pianos for People from a third-party technician, the tax receipt will acknowledge the donation with a description of the instrument, without stating a value.

The following IRS links may be useful to you.