Sample Gift Language

Your attorney can help you design an estate plan that protects your family, preserves your property and benefits The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. This information should be helpful whether you intend to include the Foundation as a beneficiary in your will or living trust or as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy, bank account, brokerage account or retirement account.

Unrestricted Gifts

You may wish to provide an unrestricted gift for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Our general policy is to invest unrestricted bequests in the Foundation’s general endowment fund, where the annual earnings will perpetually support our mission – that the future may learn from the past.

Whether you intend to leave The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation a specific dollar amount, a specific property, or a percentage of your residuary estate, your attorney will draft language to accomplish your intended bequest under applicable state law. For unrestricted bequests, consider language such as the following:

Sample Bequest Language For Unrestricted General Purposes

“I give to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Tax ID # 54-0505888, a not-for-profit, Virginia corporation located in Williamsburg, Virginia, the sum of $____________ [or property described herein] [or ____ percent (____%) of the rest and residue of my estate] to be used by the Foundation for its general purposes.”

Restricted Gifts

You may wish to restrict your gift to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation by designating your bequest to a permanent endowment fund(s) that has been established by the Foundation to support a specific core area(s) of Colonial Williamsburg. Contact the Planned Giving Office to confirm the correct name and designation for a Foundation permanent endowment fund(s) such as those mentioned above.

Alternatively, if you would like to restrict your bequest to a particular area or program, create a new restricted or named endowment fund, or restrict your bequest in any other way or for any other purpose, contact the Planned Giving Office to discuss or review your intentions to ensure that your wishes may be fulfilled as stated.

Sample Bequest Language for a Restricted Purpose(s)

“I give to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Tax ID # 54-0505888, a not-for-profit, Virginia corporation located in Williamsburg, Virginia, the sum of $____________ [or property described herein] [or ____ percent (____%)] of the rest and residue of my estate] to be used for (see Restricted Gifts above).

For a copy of our Bequest Information paper, contact the Planned Giving Office by email at legacy@cwf.org or call us at (888) 293-1776.