Estate Planning

You may wish to consider the Foundation in your Estate Plan.

We would be honored to assist you in naming The Friends of the Hamilton Schools Foundation, Inc. as a beneficiary of your Will, Revocable Trust, or Charitable Remainder Trust. In addition, you may wish to start a plan of gifting to include cash or appreciated property (such as real property or stock); we are a qualified non-profit organization, so such gifting may be tax deductible.

We are also happy at any time to talk with your financial advisor or attorney.

You can leave any amount to the Foundation to be used as unrestricted funds or to be added to an existing scholarship.

If the value of your legacy is $500 or more, we can work with you to establish a one-time or short-term memorial scholarship in your name (or the name of an appropriate person or cause); if your legacy is $30,000 or more, you can establish a perpetual memorial scholarship in your name (or the name of an appropriate person or cause).

If you are interested in including the Foundation in your estate plan or life-time gifting, please click HERE to submit your contact information to the New Scholarship Committee. There are few greater causes than helping provide a future for hard-working young people.

Examples of language to include in your Will or Trust:

  1. Gift of Specific dollar amount
    • Example A: I give and bequeath $100,000 to The Friends of the Hamilton Schools Foundation, Inc.
    • Example B: I give and bequeath $100,000 to The Friends of the Hamilton Schools Foundation, Inc. to be used to establish the perpetual John Doe Memorial Scholarship whereby the interest of such fund (as defined by the Board in accordance with its policy) shall be used annually to provide scholarship(s) (in such amounts and numbers as the Board deems appropriate in any given year depending upon the quality of the candidates and the funds available) for the benefit of high school graduates who achieve at least a 3.80 GPA and who demonstrate good character and leadership qualities, with such additional criteria as the Board’s Scholarship Committee may approve from time-to-time.
  2. Gift of Specific personal or real property
    • Example: I give and bequeath our primary residence in Hamilton, Montana, and the coin collection within the primary residence to The Friends of the Hamilton Schools Foundation, Inc.
  3. Residuary gift–A donor may give the remainder of his/her estate in whole or in part.
    • Example: I give and bequeath half of my residual estate to The Friends of the Hamilton Schools Foundation, Inc.
  4. Contingent gift
    • Example: I give and bequeath [my ranch] to my spouse, if he or she survives me. If my spouse does not survive me, I give and bequeath [my ranch] to The Friends of the Hamilton Schools Foundation, Inc.
  5. Charitable Remainder Trust
    • A Charitable Remainder Trust allows you to transfer appreciated real property, publicly-traded stock, or other allowed property to an irrevocable trust and receive a tax deduction while generating an income stream for you during your lifetime or specified term. You could leave the remainder of the donated assets to the Friends of the Hamilton Schools Foundation, Inc.
    • Example: Please see your tax advisor or estate planning attorney for help in preparing the Trust.
  6. Gift of Appreciated stock
    • See your financial or tax advisor.