How the car donation process works
You Schedule a Free Louisville Metro Pickup
Start by telling Bluegrass Auto Gift about your vehicle, where it is located, and the best way to reach you. Free towing is available across Louisville Metro, including areas such as Old Louisville, Germantown, Portland, Middletown, Valley Station, and St. Matthews. Your car does not have to be perfect, detailed, or even running to be considered. Once pickup is scheduled, a licensed towing provider comes to the address you choose, whether that is your home, workplace, repair shop, or parking area. The goal is to make donating simple, respectful, and convenient from the first call.
The Vehicle Is Assessed After Pickup
After the tow, the vehicle is reviewed for practical resale factors such as running condition, mileage, age, visible damage, title status, and market demand. This assessment helps determine the best sales path. A clean, running sedan from Jeffersontown may have different resale potential than a non-running truck in Shively or a high-mileage SUV in the South End. The vehicle is not judged emotionally; it is evaluated to see how it can produce the strongest charitable proceeds for Heritage for the Blind, EIN 58-2164446.
Running, Resalable Vehicles Usually Go to Auction
If your donated car runs and appears to be in resalable condition, it typically goes to a public or dealer auction. Auction buyers may include licensed dealers, independent buyers, or resellers who understand local and regional vehicle markets. This route is commonly used because competitive bidding can help establish a clear gross sale price. Your car might be cleaned or prepared for sale, but the primary purpose is not to keep it in the donation program; it is to convert the vehicle into revenue for Heritage for the Blind services for blind and visually impaired people.
Non-Running or High-Mileage Vehicles May Sell for Parts
If the vehicle does not run, has major mechanical issues, accident damage, missing components, or very high mileage, it typically goes to a licensed salvage or parts buyer. That does not mean your donation has no value. Vehicles that are not realistic retail candidates can still generate proceeds through usable parts, metal value, or salvage resale. This is often the best route for cars that have been sitting behind a garage, parked at a repair shop, or kept as a backup vehicle around Louisville Metro longer than planned.
Proceeds Go to Heritage for the Blind
After the vehicle sells, the gross sale proceeds become charitable revenue for Heritage for the Blind, a 501(c)(3) organization, EIN 58-2164446. Those proceeds help fund services, resources, and support for Americans who are blind or visually impaired. If your vehicle sells for more than $500, you receive IRS Form 1098-C showing the gross sale price, which is generally the amount used for your tax deduction. Bluegrass Auto Gift helps move the vehicle from an unused asset in Louisville Metro into mission funding for Heritage.
Key facts about car donation
Free towing is available throughout Louisville Metro, including many neighborhoods, apartment communities, workplaces, and nearby suburbs.
Vehicles are assessed after pickup; condition, mileage, title status, and resale potential guide the sale channel.
Running, resalable cars typically go to public or dealer auction to maximize proceeds for Heritage for the Blind.
Non-running, damaged, or high-mileage vehicles typically sell to licensed salvage or parts buyers, not informal scrap yards.
Heritage for the Blind, EIN 58-2164446, receives the vehicle sale proceeds as charitable revenue supporting programs.
For vehicles selling over $500, donors receive IRS Form 1098-C showing the gross sale price.