Building a Legacy That Moves Stem Cell Research Forward

Feb 07, 2013 Awards & Funding

From metastatic melanoma to infertility, the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center is committed to developing personalized therapies for a number of devastating diseases. The center supports outstanding faculty and their cutting edge research, which make patient therapies possible. It is through the support of generous donors that we are able to pursue new technologies, form unprecedented collaborations, and continue to make breakthrough discoveries. UCLA’s estate and gift planning strategies can help you build a meaningful legacy that will provide crucial support to the stem cell center for generations to come.

Bequests and Retirement Accounts

  • Bequests are gifts made by will or trust and are the most common form of planned giving. Remembering the center in a will or living trust allows you to plan your legacy now in ways that may also help reduce estate tax for your heirs. Whether you wish to provide general operating income or support a specific program or research at the center, your bequest to The UCLA Foundation expresses your lasting commitment.
  • Amounts that have accumulated tax free in an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), 401(k) or other qualified plan can be an excellent resource from which to make a legacy gift to the stem cell center. A gift of retirement assets can be easily accomplished by designating The UCLA Foundation as the beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k) or other qualified plan.
  • In 2013, donors age 70 ½ or older can take advantage of the Charitable IRA Rollover to make tax-free charitable gifts to the center while applying the amounts toward their required minimum distribution for the year.

Gifts Providing an Income for Life

  • Donors to the stem cell center can establish gifts that provide an income stream for life, such as a charitable gift annuity or charitable reminder unitrust.
  • Under the terms of a charitable gift annuity, you transfer assets today that will be used to benefit the center in the future. In the meantime, you and/or a loved one will receive guaranteed, fixed payments for life, a portion of which is tax-free, while claiming an immediate income tax charitable deduction.
  • A charitable remainder unitrust allows you to make a gift to the center and at the same time retain a benefit from the assets you give. Your irrevocable contribution of cash, securities, or other property will be placed in trust and the trust pays an income stream to you or your named beneficiaries for life and/or for a set term of years. When the trust terminates, the stem cell center will receive the remaining funds and you are entitled to receive an immediate income tax deduction for a portion of your contribution in the year the gift is made.

Real Estate or Appreciated Securities

  • Gifts of other types of assets, such as real estate or appreciated securities, may better fit your needs and goals while providing you with tax or income benefits. Whether you wish to make a gift of your home while continuing to maintain residency or sell your property outright, the center can help you make all of the necessary arrangements for a simple and straightforward transaction.