A planned gift to the Community Foundation can create lasting support for the charitable causes that matter to you.

One of the most effective ways to give back to our seven-county region and provide for its well-being over time is by a planned gift to an unrestricted endowment fund in your name at the Community Foundation. When you create an endowment fund, we use a portion annually to support charities in the region, and we manage the rest to grow over time. This ensures that your fund will last in perpetuity, permanently supporting critical and changing needs in southeast Michigan.

You may also permanently fund the charitable causes you support today or a favorite organization through a planned gift. Your enduring gifts help sustain nonprofits in uncertain economic times when other support may no longer be available.

Why Make A Planned Gift?

Your planned gift to the Community Foundation can be made for any number of reasons, enabling you to:

• Create lasting support for southeast Michigan
• Reduce your income tax liability
• Avoid or defer of capital gains taxes on appreciated assets
• Provide supplemental income for yourself or your beneficiaries
• Provide asset diversification in your investment portfolio

What is a Planned Gift?

A bequest from your estate is a simple way to make a planned gift to the Community Foundation. Naming the Community Foundation among the beneficiaries in your will or trust ensures that your philanthropic wishes will be honored on your passing.

Beyond naming the Community Foundation as a beneficiary in a bequest, there are other options available for making a planned gift of any size including charitable gift annuities, retirement plan assets, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, and life insurance.

Knowing your options is the most important step to successful giving. Please call one of our Philanthropic Services team members to customize a planned gift that is right for you. Working with you and your advisors, the Community Foundation can help you determine what planned gift technique to use and consider which assets to give and when to create a lasting philanthropic legacy for yourself and your family.

Suggested Bequest Language

The following is suggested bequest language that can be used to include a planned gift to the Community Foundation in your estate plan. Always consult your attorney before executing a will, a trust, or another estate planning document.

“I give [$ amount, % amount, or other asset] to the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, a nonprofit corporation, for the benefit of the _________ Fund.” The second blank may be used to name a specific fund created pursuant to a fund agreement that you execute with the Community Foundation, or you can simply make the gift to the Community Foundation without a specific fund name.”

Please contact Laura Brownfield at the Community Foundation if you or your attorney have any questions or would like to discuss your specific planned gift.

Matured Planned Gift Assessment

A one-time assessment allows the Community Foundation to carry out implementation of your gift and helps support the work we do in our region. The assessment for matured planned gifts is one percent (1%) of the maturity. Certain planned gifts, such as those established during our Touch the Future program or charitable gifts annuities, are not subject to this assessment.

Charitable Gift Annuities

Many donors of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan are taking advantage of a special giving opportunity – one that benefits them personally while providing lasting support for their favorite charitable causes. These individuals have discovered the benefits of establishing a Charitable Gift Annuity. They have learned that a gift annuity is a simple and proven technique for securing lifetime income and immediate income tax deductions.

A Community Foundation Charitable Gift Annuity is both a gift and a life-income arrangement. Through gift annuities established with the Community Foundation, many donors enjoy fixed income from their gifts for their lifetimes. There are many other benefits as well. Some of the most commonly asked questions about gift annuities are answered below.