A GIFT IN YOUR WILL
Gifts in wills and trusts, called bequests, can provide vital support to Cambridge through the Cambridge Community Foundation’s civic leadership and grantmaking. We are grateful to our bequest donors for their foresight and generosity in establishing future new funds or growing existing funds at the Foundation in a broad range of areas.
Why make a bequest?
Advantages to making a gift to the Cambridge Community Foundation in your will or trust:
Easy to arrange. A simple sentence inserted in your will or trust by your attorney is all that’s needed. For example: I give (the sum of $ or percentage of my estate) to The Cambridge Community Foundation of Cambridge, Massachusetts, a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation, federal tax ID number 04-6012492.
Retain use of your assets. A bequest allows you to make a gift to be received in the future, while preserving the assets for you should you need them.
Flexible. A gift in your will or trust can be changed if life circumstances change.
“Fifty years from now, I don’t know what the exact needs of Cambridge will be, or what organizations will be called upon to help, but I know the Cambridge Community Foundation will be leading the charge.”
WIN LENIHAN, the former vice president for development at WGBH and a longtime Cambridge resident, brings her experience in philanthropy to her role as a CCF board member while embracing an active next chapter in retirement. “When I sat down to update my estate plans I realized that what has been consistent in my life is my love for the Cambridge community,” she says. “This gift allows me to express it in a tangible way.” Through her legacy gift to CCF, Win will continue making an impact on Cambridge for generations to come.
Explore options
There are several ways you can include a gift to the Foundation in your will or trust:
Specific bequest. The Cambridge Community Foundation receives a specific dollar amount or a specific asset, such as a piece of real estate or a stock or bond.
Residuary bequest. The Foundation receives the remainder of your estate, after all taxes, specific bequests, and administrative costs have been distributed.
Contingent bequest. The Foundation receives a gift from your estate only under certain circumstances (i.e. in the event my spouse does not survive me).
Amendment to an existing will. If you already have a will or trust, your attorney can draft a simple amendment to include a gift to the Foundation.
Unrestricted Bequest. I give (the sum of $ or percentage of my estate) to The Cambridge Community Foundation of Cambridge, Massachusetts, a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation, federal tax ID number 04-6012492.
Learn more
Contact us to discuss other ways you can make a gift to the Foundation from your estate, or to discuss ways to further personalize the impact of your legacy, by earmarking your gift to a specific area of the Foundation’s work.
We are grateful to the donors who have established their legacies with the Foundation. See a list of these generous donors.
