Practice Area

Foundations and Charitable Giving

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Foundations And Charitable Giving

If your estate plan has a philanthropic or planned giving component, we can assist you fulfill your charitable goals. You may be considering lifetime or testamentary transfers to one or more charitable beneficiaries. You may be focusing on causes such as health, education, religion, human services, disaster relief, arts, animal welfare or something else where you see a need. Examples of our services in the charitable area include the following:

  • Incorporating charitable bequests at death under a Will or other testamentary instrument
  • Coordinating a beneficiary designation for retirement funds directed to pass to one or more charities at death
  • Advising clients concerning a qualified charitable distribution during life from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) that counts toward satisfying a required minimum distribution (RMD)
  • Forming a private family foundation and filing the application with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to obtain tax exempt status
  • Creating a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) under a lifetime document or a Will to split the interest in property between charitable and non-charitable beneficiaries, possibly including the donors, and reporting such transfers on federal gift tax returns
  • Counseling clients concerning the establishment of a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) at a community foundation or other sponsoring organization
  • Guiding clients with respect to Charitable Lead Trusts (CLT) where there is a desire to benefit one or more charities for an initial period and ultimately benefit non-charitable recipients after the charitable term ends.

Contact us if you are interested in discussing the pros and cons of various options and how they may impact you, your family and your favorite causes. We can review the effects of charitable transfers on income taxes, gifts taxes and death taxes.

We can help whether you want to make a one-time donation or are considering a vehicle that allows for ongoing gifts to various charities that are determined from time to time.

Taking steps to implement your charitable intentions can allow you to make a lasting legacy with respect to the interests you care most about.