Types of Planned Gifts

Choosing the right planned gift depends on your personal circumstances and financial goals.

Bequests and Estate Plan Gifts

You may make a bequest or gift through your estate by including a provision in your will or living trust, or by naming Stanford as a beneficiary of a retirement plan or life insurance policy. The amount left to the university (or any charity) can be expressed as a dollar amount or as a percentage of the assets to be given.

Life Income Gifts

A life income gift allows you to give assets to Stanford while providing yourself or others with income for a period of time before Stanford is permitted to use your gift. You may make a life income gift by transferring securities, cash, or other property to Stanford or a trustee. The university or trustee then manages the investment of the assets and pays an income to you, your designated beneficiaries, or both. Income payments continue for the beneficiaries' lives or, in some cases, for a term of up to 20 years.

There are several kinds of life income gifts available at Stanford:

Charitable Gift Annuities

In exchange for an outright gift, Stanford agrees by contract to pay a fixed amount each year to you and/or another beneficiary for life.

Charitable Remainder Unitrusts

You establish a trust from which you and/or other beneficiaries receive variable annual payments for life and/or a term of years. At the end of the term, the remainder of the trust assets go to Stanford for the purposes you designate.

Charitable Remainder Annuity Trusts

You establish a trust from which you and/or other beneficiaries receive annual payments of a fixed dollar amount for life and/or a term of years, after which the remainder of the trust assets pass to Stanford for the purposes you designate.

Pooled Income Funds

Your gift goes into an investment pool that functions like a mutual fund. Investment returns are paid to you and/or other beneficiaries for life, after which your gift is withdrawn and used to support your designated purpose at Stanford.

Other Types of Gifts

Charitable Lead Trusts

A charitable lead trust makes an annual payment to Stanford for a period of years, and at the end of the term, the remaining assets go to your children or other beneficiary.

Donor Advised Funds

A donor advised fund allows you to make a tax-deductible gift to Stanford to establish a fund today, and later advise the university on how you would like the gift used. At least half of the gift must be designated to Stanford, and the rest may support other charities.