Leave a Legacy

endowment4ej

Make Equal Justice Part of Your Legacy

When you remember the Endowment for Equal Justice in your will or other estate plans, you leave a legacy that lasts long after you’re gone. It’s the gift of justice for all, invested in an everlasting source of revenue to support the civil legal needs of people living in poverty for generations to come.  It’s a gift that also reflects your most deeply held values.

Join the Justice Society

By making a legacy gift to the Endowment, you also become a member of the Justice Society, a special group of forward-thinking supporters who wish to ensure a just future for all people in Washington State. Through their legacy gifts, Justice Society members send a strong message to the community and their family about the importance of ensuring fairness and justice in our society. Through their example, they inspire others to invest in and advocate for equal justice.

Membership in the Justice Society is open to everyone who has notified us in writing that they have arranged a gift to the Endowment for Equal Justice through their will or other aspect of their estate plan.  You can notify us today of your intent to name the Endowment for Equal Justice in your estate plan.  Please download this form and submit it online: Legacy Notification Form

What are the Benefits of Joining the Justice Society?

  • Honor Roll recognition on our website and printed materials (If you prefer, we will honor a request for anonymity)
  • Priority seating for our Let’s Talk About Justice Speaker Series and invitations to small gatherings with luminaries
  • Invitations to special receptions and exclusive events

How Do I Make a Planned Gift?

There are several options for legacy giving that not only can fulfill your desire to support the Endowment but that may also provide significant tax and financial benefits to you and/or your heirs. We encourage you to discuss these and other potential avenues for legacy gifts with your financial and/or estate planning advisor.

A Gift in Your Will or Living Trust:  Your attorney can include the necessary language in your will, a codicil to your will, or your revocable living trust.  Here is suggested language to include in these documents that you should review with your attorney:

I give, devise and bequeath [identify here the specific sum of money, the specific asset or the portion of the residual estate] to the Endowment for Equal Justice, 1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 1335, Seattle, WA  98101 in such a manner as the Board of Trustees of Endowment for Equal Justice may direct.

Beneficiary Designations:  Make the Endowment a beneficiary of a bank account, brokerage account, retirement plan, life insurance policy or annuity.  Upon your death, assets in these accounts are passed to beneficiaries without going through probate.  Although forms will differ from one financial institution to the next, you will need our legal name and address:

Endowment for Equal Justice
1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 1335
Seattle, WA  98101
Tax ID Number: 91-2090855

NOTE: The most tax-efficient way to give to the Endowment upon death is to designate the Endowment as beneficiary of all or part of your retirement plan or IRA. As a charity, the Endowment pays no estate tax and no income tax on retirement benefits; it receives 100 cents on the dollar.

A Gift of Stocks or Bonds: Donate appreciated securities and the Endowment can receive maximum, immediate value from your gift while you realize income and capital gains tax savings.

A Gift of Life Insurance:  If you have an existing policy that you no longer need, here are three typical ways that you can convert that forgotten asset into a legacy for equal justice:

  • Name the Endowment as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy.
  • Make the Endowment the beneficiary and owner of a paid-up policy.
  • Make the Endowment the beneficiary and owner of a policy for which you continue to make premium payments.

Direct contributions from IRA’s to the Endowment count towards your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) and is not included in your taxable income. The Endowment receives 100 cents on the dollar.

Gifts of Property such as Real Estate, Jewelry or Art: By leaving a gift to the Endowment, you’ll not only leave a legacy, but your heirs may realize significant estate tax savings.

Charitable Trusts: If you have highly appreciated assets or a significant estate, one of several trusts might be an option for you. Aside from providing support for the Endowment, these trusts can provide substantial benefits to you and your family. Ask your estate planner about these options.

Please call Melinda Mann at (206) 957-6284 for more information about how to make a gift to the Endowment in your estate plans. This is not professional legal or tax advice. Please consult your professional adviser about the consequences of this gift to your situation.