Dedicated alumni and friends choose to support the Clark School in their estate plans, creating legacies that provide the school long-term funding and potentially generate income for donors or their loved ones. Types of planned gifts include:

Bequests

By making a provision in your will, you may be able to make a substantial gift from your collected assets.  For example, you may commit a percentage of your overall estate value, a sum of cash, or otherwise described property.

Life Income Gifts

The gift options described below can provide you with income for life coupled with tax benefits.

♦ Charitable Gift Annuities

A charitable gift annuity is established by transferring assets to the University of Maryland College Park Foundation to administer. The Foundation manages the assets on behalf of the Clark School of Engineering. In return, the Foundation will provide regular, fixed payments to you for the rest of your life.

♦ Charitable Lead Trusts

A charitable lead trust is created by placing assets in-trust for a term of time, with a designated payment to the University of Maryland College Park Foundation. At the end of the term, the assets revert back to you or your family, often with advantageous tax benefits for you and your family.

♦ Charitable Remainder Trust

You may establish a charitable remainder trust by transferring cash, securities or property to the University of Maryland College Park Foundation. There are two types:

• In a standard charitable remainder trust (or unitrust), you or a designated beneficiary receives a predetermined percentage of the trust for life or a fixed term.
• In a charitable remainder annuity trust, you receive a fixed dollar amount every year for life or for a fixed term.

With both the charitable remainder trust and the charitable remainder annuity trust, the assets remaining after all disbursements go to the Foundation to benefit the Clark School as you have designated.

♦ Pooled Income Funds

In a pooled income fund, your contribution is invested along with other contributions, in a manner similar to a mutual fund. These funds pay quarterly income to you or a beneficiary of your choice, based on the fund's earnings, either for life or for a period of time, which you may determine.

Please contact your financial or tax professional to discuss which option best suits your needs. Selecting a planned giving method now will enable you to determine how your estate will be distributed, rather than rely on another party to do so if you become unable to make these decisions.

To learn more about planned or estate gifts and how they support our students and faculty, please send e-mail to or call one of our development staff.