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Contribution OptionsSupporting the ministry of Westminster Theological Seminary If you are ready to make a contribution, please click here. If you want to explore ways to contribute, please choose one of these links:
Various ways to make a contribution Westminster Theological Seminary depends on the generous support of individuals, organizations, and churches to enable the seminary to form Christian leaders to proclaim the whole counsel of God throughout a changing world.
Thank you for your interest in supporting the General Fund for Westminster. This fund is used to cover the day-to-day expenses of running the Seminary, including utilities, supplies, Faculty and staff salaries, general upkeep of the facilities, and a great deal more. Your gift of any amount will help. You may also want to consider joining our By His Grace Partnership to receive a new CD of Westminster teaching each month. If so, click here for more information. Your gift can be deducted automatically each month from your checking account. With this method, deductions will continue until you request a stop. If your monthly gift is $25 or more and you want to join our By His Grace Partnership, note that on your print-and-mail form. One of the best-kept secrets here at Westminster is our media archive. We now have this treasure house of historic and current teaching available on CD as a way to say thank you for your regular, monthly support gift of $25 or more. Our By His Grace Partnership enables you to benefit directly from Westminster teaching while you participate in reaching the next generation with the Word of God. When you become a By His Grace Partner, you'll receive a monthly CD featuring chapel messages, conference seminars, or other teaching from our faculty, along with Seminary news and prayer requests. Once a year you will also receive a book by one of our faculty members.
After listening to each CD, consider passing it on to your pastor, church officers, or friends. It's a great way to introduce them to the mission and teaching of Westminster - and a way for you to help us build support as we train the next generation of ministers of the gospel. Westminster has been blessed by gifts from the estates of donors and friends of the Seminary. If you are interested in exploring planned giving options, please read this section of our web site. In addition, Westminster is a member of the Barnabas Foundation. The foundation was established to help individuals and families discuss estate planning from a Christian perspective. You may contact their office for information on specific concerns. The staff will provide confidential, objective estate planning at no cost to you. To find out more, please call Barnabas Foundation directly at 1-888-488-3040 or go to their website: www.barnabasfoundation.com. About IRA Charitable Rollovers: On August 17, 2006, President Bush signed into law the Pension Protection Act of 2006. This new law allows tax-free gifts to be made to charities from IRAs. To request a Pension Protection Act of 2006 fact sheet, or with other estate planning questions, call the Barnabas Foundation at 1-888-448-3040. To receive with no obligation the complimentary booklet "Better Estate Planning," contact David B. Garner at 215-572-3839 (or 800-373-0119). Charitable Giving Options, Examples (using a dollar amount), and Benefits Charitable Remainder Trust (during lifetime) CRT: Donor establishes trust and transfers stock worth $100,000 to trust, retaining five percent per year income stream for life of donor (and/or other beneficiary), trust assets pass to charitable organization. Benefits: Donor (and/or another beneficiary) receives income stream; if transferred stock was low yielding, income stream may exceed the amount of dividend income that donor had been receiving (either immediately or after retirement); avoidance of potential capital gains tax; donor could retain control over trust investments as trustee or, if donor would prefer, someone else could be the trustee and relieve the donor of investment responsibilities; income tax deduction calculated on actuarial basis; with certain kinds of trusts (unitrusts), donor can make additional contributions to the trust. Charitable Remainder Trust (by will) TCRT: Donor includes trust provision in will directing that $100,000 be placed in trust for benefit of spouse during spouse's lifetime; Upon spouse's death, trust assets pass to charitable organization. Benefits: Estate tax marital deduction for spouse's income interest and estate tax charitable deduction for value of remainder interest; provides income stream for spouse for life, donor can select experienced trustee to manage the investments for benefit of spouse. Gift Annuity (immediate) CGA: Donor transfers appreciated stock to charitable organization in exchange for organization's agreement to pay a specified annuity to the donor (and/or another beneficiary). Benefits: Donor (and/or another beneficiary) receives income stream; a portion of each annuity payment will be free from income tax; capital gains tax reduced and spread out; income tax deduction calculated on an actuarial basis. Gift Annuity (deferred) DCGA: Donor transfers appreciated stock to charitable organization in exchange for organization's agreement to pay a specified annuity to the donor (and/or another beneficiary) in the future (e.g., after retirement). Benefits: All of the same benefits as with an immediate annuity (above), with the added benefit of supplemental retirement income on a tax-favored basis. Remainder Interest in Residence or Farm RLE: Donor transfers residence to charitable organization but retains the right to live in home for life. Benefits: Income tax deduction equal to the value of charitable organization's remainder interest calculated on an actuarial basis; right to live in home for life. Life Insurance (charitable organization as beneficiary): Donor names charitable organization as beneficiary of life insurance policy. Benefits: Donor retains ownership of policy and has access to its cash value; no federal estate tax on life insurance proceeds will be due upon donor's death because of charitable deduction. Life Insurance (charitable organization as owner): Donor irrevocably assigns life insurance policy to charitable organization; each year donor contributes annual premium amount to organization to allow it to pay subsequent premiums. Benefits: Income tax deductions for lesser of policy's value or net premiums paid; income tax deduction for subsequent contributions. Life Insurance (wealth replacement): Donor has transferred property to charitable organization and uses tax savings produced by the income tax deduction to pay premiums on life insurance policy, the proceeds of which will be roughly equivalent to the value of the gifted property. Benefits: Provides funds to family beneficiaries in compensation for the property contributed to charitable organizations. Outright Bequest (by will): Donor includes outright bequest of $100,000 to charitable organization in will or a bequest of a percentage of the estate. Benefits: Estate tax deduction for full amount of the bequest. Charitable Lead Trust (during lifetime) CLT: Donor establishes trust, transfers stock worth $100,000 to trust, and directs that trust is to pay charitable organization $8,000 annually for 15 years; at termination of trust, assets to be distributed to donor's children. Benefits: Allows property to be transferred eventually to family beneficiaries at a low transfer tax cost. Charitable Lead Trust (by will) TCLT: Donor includes trust provision in will directing the transfer of $100,000 to trust and annual payment of $8,000 to charitable organization for 15 years; at termination of trust, assets to be distributed to donor's children. Benefits: Allows property to be transferred eventually to family beneficiaries at lower transfer tax cost. Westminster has worked with several planned giving consultants, two of which are listed here:
You may also want to contact your attorney for a referral to a planned giving consultant in your region. Each year many qualified students apply to Westminster who are unable to attend due to lack of scholarship funding. While many of these students are from two-thirds world countries, United States and Canadian applicants also struggle to meet the cost of tuition - often after already incurring debt for their undergraduate or other graduate level education. Westminster has established several ways to address this growing need. General Fund (Undesignated Gifts) Scholarship Account (Restricted, spent annually) Scholarship Fund (Restricted, earnings spent annually) Named Scholarships - Annual
To speak with someone about establishing a named scholarship, please contact David B. Garner (215-572-3839). Named Scholarships - Perpetual
To speak with someone about establishing a perpetual named scholarship, please contact David B. Garner at (215-572-3839). Living Expense Scholarships Westminster periodically sets up a special fund account for designated use, such as a building fund. Current projects under consideration include: Community Center Building Fund and several Faculty Chair Funds. Often these projects are initiated after a mutual goal is established between a donor and Westminster. Regarding Faculty Chairs, it is our desire to establish funds to honor our founding faculty members. Discussions are currently underway regarding a Machen Chair, a Van Til Chair, and a Woolley Chair. Each chair will be considered fully-funded when it reaches the $1.5 million mark. If you are interested in contributing a significant gift toward any of these funds, please contact David B. Garner at (215-572-3839). |