Since the OP doesn't want anything in return, it's possible that this could be considered a gift. If true, then the transfer would be tax (and social security) free in the US.
The OP is paying tax/SS on the money because the project is not a tax-exempt charitable org.
So, might be considered closer to 50k in equivalent salary.
The IRS says money I give for no consideration is a gift.
The OP wants you to work on your project -- it's not clear what happens if you don't do that. If the OP does not get the money back or any other consideration, I believe that an accountant and lawyer could structure this as a gift. The OP will have to file and it counts against their lifetime exemption, but there is no tax (I believe -- talk to an accountant)
(STILL NOT AN ACCOUNTANT). I believe the cap is not on the gift -- it's on the giver and what they have to file. There is no tax until gifts go over ~5 million.
There are two levels of exemption from the gift tax. First, gifts of up to the annual exclusion ($14,000 per recipient in 2015) incur no tax or filing requirement. By splitting their gifts, married couples can give up to twice this amount tax-free. Note that each giver and recipient pair has their own unique annual exclusion; a giver can give to any number of recipients and the exclusion is not affected by other gifts that recipient may have received from others.
Second, gifts in excess of the annual exclusion may still be tax-free up to the lifetime estate basic exclusion amount ($5,340,000 in 2014, $5,430,000 in 2015), although for estates over that amount such gifts might increase estate taxes. Taxpayers that expect to have a taxable estate may sometimes prefer to pay gift taxes as they occur, rather than saving them up as part of the estate.
For something to be a gift, the giver can have no consideration
Since the OP doesn't want anything in return, it's possible that this could be considered a gift. If true, then the transfer would be tax (and social security) free in the US.
The OP is paying tax/SS on the money because the project is not a tax-exempt charitable org.
So, might be considered closer to 50k in equivalent salary.