By making a planned gift – of any size – you are following in the footsteps of Robert Murray and strengthening the School’s founding Quaker mission.
All planned gifts, including bequests, retirement plans and life insurance policies, charitable lead and charitable remainder trusts and appreciated securities, strengthen School’s future.
Friends has long benefited from planned gifts, large and small.
If you have made a planned gift to Friends, you are welcome to join Friends for the Future.
Bequests and Trusts
A bequest is a simple and meaningful way to support Friends Seminary through your estate plans.
By including Friends in your will, trust, retirement plan, or life insurance policy, you can help sustain the school's Quaker mission and strengthen its future for generations of students.
Many legacy gifts support the school’s endowment, providing lasting resources for priorities such as financial aid, faculty excellence, and other areas that advance the school's mission. Whether you are considering a specific gift amount, a percentage of your estate, or a beneficiary designation, there are flexible options that can align with your personal and philanthropic goals.
To learn more or discuss your intentions confidentially, please contact Rebecca Holmes, Senior Associate Director of Institutional Advancement.
Types of Bequests and Trusts
This bequest is a gift for a specific sum or property. To make an outright bequest by Will, language like this could be used:
“I bequeath to Friends Seminary of 222 East 16th Street, New York, NY 10003, the sum of $____________________ for its endowment.”
(For specific property, include a description such as: securities, life insurance policy, retirement account, trust, land, etc., instead.)
This bequest is a percentage or all of one’s estate after specific bequests, debts, taxes and estate expenses have been paid. This bequest meets the needs of donors who are uncertain about the amount that will be available and want to ensure specific bequests and expenses are paid first. To make a residuary bequest in a Will, language like this could be used:
“I bequeath all (or_____ percent) of my residuary estate to Friends Seminary of 222 East 16th Street, New York, NY 10003 for its endowment.”
This bequest provides first for loved ones and benefits Friends only if the named beneficiary predeceases the person making the Will. To make a contingent bequest by Will, language like this could be used:
“I bequeath to _________________ the sum of $______________ and in the event he/she predeceases me, I direct this sum to be paid to Friends of 222 East 16th Street, New York, NY 10003 for its endowment.” (For specific property include a description such as: securities, life insurance policy, retirement account, trust, land, etc., instead.)Under current tax law, by naming Friends, a qualified non-profit, as a beneficiary of all or a portion of your life insurance policy or retirement plan (IRA, 401k or 403b) enables these assets to be passed from your estate to Friends tax-free. When given to individuals as heirs, these assets are subject to personal and possibly estate tax.
Naming Friends as a beneficiary is simple. Complete the beneficiary designation form which your insurance policy provider or retirement plan administrator provides. This can be done at no additional cost. Like a bequest, a beneficiary designation allows you to:
- Build a strong future for Friends
- Reduce the tax liability of your overall estate by removing assets
- Look after your needs and those of your family
Establishing a CLT, enables you to make annual gifts to Friends for a fixed period of time, typically between 10 and 20 years. When the CLT terminates, the remaining principal is paid to your heirs. The amount and terms of the payments to Friends can be structured to reduce or eliminate taxes when the appreciated principal is transferred to your heirs. A CLT enables you to:
- Build a strong future for Friends
- Leave your heirs a larger estate than might otherwise be possible
The CRT is structured so that you or another named individual receives annual payments for a fixed period of time. When the CRT terminates, the remainder of the Trust is transferred to Friends, as a qualified charity. It is the inverse of a CLT that enables you to:
- Build a strong future for Friends
- Receive income for life for you or your named beneficiaries
- Benefit from gift and estate tax savings.
Friends for the Future
Friends for the Future recognizes those who have remembered Friends in their Will or estate plans. If you have included Friends in your Will, thank you. If you have not yet informed the School, please do so you can be welcomed to this special group of alumni, parents, staff, faculty and friends and ensure that your wishes are clearly understood.
Sylvia Colt DeAlmeida '45 (1927-2022)
I had a wonderful time at Friends. It was a terrific experience for me and it will be a terrific experience for a ton of future students.
– Sylvia '45, A Friend for the Future
Sylvia’s strong sense of social responsibility prompted her to make a bequest of more than $650,000 to the School’s endowment. During her time at Friends, Sylvia was active in the Interracial Club under the direction of beloved teacher and administrator Dr. Earl Hunter. She recalls visiting Harlem with the club to discuss and promote desegregation in the early 1940s. “Friends gives you a great idea of what life is about,” Sylvia once said. “It’s a very non-elitist place that takes such an active role in addressing social problems.”
In her later years Sylvia tutored an eight-year-old girl, who suffered from a mental disability, through a child advocacy program in Los Gatos, CA, where she lived. Holding closely the values instilled in her at Friends, Sylvia saw this program as a way of giving back.
Friends taught me lessons that have lasted me a lifetime. I am grateful for that. I had a terrific experience for me and it will be a terrific experience for a ton of future students.
Remembering Donors
Friends remembers and honors those who have made a lasting impact on the School.