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Charitable Bequest

A charitable bequest is one of the easiest and most flexible ways that you can leave a gift to Community Foundation of Lorain County that will make a lasting impact.

Flowchart: Donor leaves property through will or trust to family and CFLC.

What are the benefits of making a bequest?

  1. You leave a lasting legacy to be remembered
  2. You lessen the burden of taxes on your family
  3. You may receive estate tax savings

How can I learn more?

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How do I make a bequest?

A bequest is one of the easiest gifts to make. With the help of an advisor, you can include language in your will or trust specifying a gift be made to family, friends or Community Foundation of Lorain County as part of your estate plan.

View Bequest Language

What are my options?

A bequest can be made in several ways:
  1. You can gift a specific dollar amount or asset
  2. You can gift a percentage of your estate
  3. You can gift from the balance or residue of your estate
  4. You can make a beneficiary designation of certain assets

How do I get started?

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Community Foundation of Lorain County's Bequest Language

An excellent way for you to support Community Foundation of Lorain County's mission is to leave us a bequest in your will, living trust or with a codicil. One significant benefit of making a gift by bequest is that it allows you to continue to use the property you will leave to charity during your life. Another benefit is that you are able to leave a lasting legacy.

Types of Bequests


There are a number of ways you can make a bequest to Community Foundation of Lorain County.

Specific Bequest. A specific bequest involves making a gift of a specific asset such as real estate, a car, other property or a gift for a specific dollar amount. For example, you may wish to leave your home or $10,000 to Community Foundation of Lorain County.

Percentage Bequest. Another kind of specific bequest involves leaving a specific percentage of your overall estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 10% of your estate to Community Foundation of Lorain County.

Residual Bequest. A residual bequest is made from the balance of an estate after the will or trust has given away each of the specific bequests. A common residual bequest involves leaving a percentage of the residue of the estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 30% of the residue of your estate to Community Foundation of Lorain County.

Contingent Bequest. A contingent bequest is made to charity only if the purpose of the primary bequest cannot be met. For example, you could leave specific property, such as a vacation home, to a relative, but the bequest language could provide that if the relative is not alive at the time of your death, the vacation home will go to Community Foundation of Lorain County.

Bequest Benefits


A bequest is generally a revocable gift, which means it can be changed or modified at any time. You can choose to designate that a bequest be used for a general or specific purpose so you have the peace of mind knowing that your gift will be used as intended. Bequests are exempt from federal estate taxes. If you have a taxable estate, the estate tax charitable deduction may offset or eliminate estate taxes, resulting in a larger inheritance for your heirs.

Bequest Language


In order to make a bequest, you should speak with your attorney. Your attorney can help you include a bequest to Community Foundation of Lorain County in your estate plan. We have provided some basic bequest language to assist you and your attorney.

1. Specific Bequest

If you are considering making an outright bequest to Community Foundation of Lorain County, we recommend the following language:

Bequest of a Specific Dollar Amount

I hereby give, devise and bequeath _________ and No/100 dollars ($DOLLARS) to Community Foundation of Lorain County, a nonprofit organization located at 9080 Leavitt Road, Elyria, OH, 44035, Federal Tax ID #34-1322781, for Community Foundation of Lorain County's general use and purpose.

Bequest of Specific Personal Property

I hereby give, devise and bequeath DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to Community Foundation of Lorain County, a nonprofit organization located at 9080 Leavitt Road, Elyria, OH, 44035, Federal Tax ID #34-1322781, for Community Foundation of Lorain County's general use and purpose.

Bequest of Specific Real Estate

I hereby give, devise and bequeath all of the right, title and interest in and to the real estate located at ADDRESS OR DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to Community Foundation of Lorain County, a nonprofit organization located at 9080 Leavitt Road, Elyria, OH, 44035, Federal Tax ID #34-1322781, for Community Foundation of Lorain County's general use and purpose.

2. Percentage Bequest

If you are considering making a bequest of a percentage of your estate to Community Foundation of Lorain County, we recommend the following language:

I hereby give, devise and bequeath ____ percent (___%) of my total estate, determined as of the date of my death, to Community Foundation of Lorain County, a nonprofit organization located at 9080 Leavitt Road, Elyria, OH, 44035, Federal Tax ID #34-1322781, for Community Foundation of Lorain County's general use and purpose.

3. Residual Bequest

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to Community Foundation of Lorain County, a nonprofit organization located at 9080 Leavitt Road, Elyria, OH, 44035, Federal Tax ID #34-1322781, ALL OR A PERCENTAGE of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate to be used for Community Foundation of Lorain County's general use and purpose.

4. Contingent Bequest

If (primary beneficiary) does not survive me, then I hereby give, devise and bequeath to Community Foundation of Lorain County, a nonprofit organization located at 9080 Leavitt Road, Elyria, OH, 44035, Federal Tax ID #34-1322781, DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to be used for Community Foundation of Lorain County's general use and purpose.

Restricted Bequests


If you are considering a bequest but would like to ensure that your bequest will be used for a specific purpose, please let us know. We would be happy to work with you and your attorney to help you identify ways to give and meet your charitable objectives. We will also work with you and your attorney to craft language to accomplish your goals.

If you are making a restricted bequest, we recommend that your attorney include the following provision to give Community Foundation of Lorain County flexibility should it no longer be possible for our Community Foundation of Lorain County to use your gift as you originally intended:

If, in the judgment of the Board of Directors of Community Foundation of Lorain County, it shall become impossible for Community Foundation of Lorain County to use this bequest to accomplish the specific purposes of this bequest, Community Foundation of Lorain County may use the income and principal of this gift for such purpose or purposes as the Board determines is most closely related to the restricted purpose of my bequest.

Benefits of a bequest

  • Receive an estate tax charitable deduction
  • Reduce the burden of taxes on your family
  • Leave a lasting legacy to charity

How a bequest works

A bequest is one of the easiest gifts to make. With the help of an attorney, you can include language in your will or trust specifying a gift to be made to family, friends or Community Foundation of Lorain County as part of your estate plan, or you can make a bequest using a beneficiary designation form.

Here are some of the ways to leave a bequest to Community Foundation of Lorain County

  • Include a bequest to Community Foundation of Lorain County in your will or revocable trust
  • Designate Community Foundation of Lorain County as a full, partial or contingent beneficiary of your retirement account (IRA, 401(k), 403(b) or pension)
  • Name Community Foundation of Lorain County as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy

A bequest may be made in several ways

  • Percentage bequest - make a gift of a percentage of your estate
  • Specific bequest - make a gift of a specific dollar amount or a specific asset
  • Residual bequest - make a gift from the balance or residue of your estate
Click here to review sample bequest language.

Contact us

If you have any questions about leaving a bequest to us, please contact us. We would be happy to assist you. If you have been so generous as to include a bequest to Community Foundation of Lorain County as part of your estate plan, please take the time to let us know. We would like to recognize you and your family for your generosity.

Additional Information

The method used to make a bequest will depend on the kind of gift you choose to leave to Community Foundation of Lorain County.

Bequests of real estate, personal property, business interests and cash are typically made by way of a will, revocable trust or even a simple codicil to your current estate plan. Your estate-planning attorney can assist you in preparing the necessary papers for you to complete the bequest.

Other bequests, such as those involving retirement assets, insurance policies, bank accounts and stocks and bonds, are typically made by completing the appropriate beneficiary designation form. Simply contact your retirement plan administrator, life insurance company, bank or investment broker and ask them to send you the appropriate "beneficiary designation" or "payable on death" form. To complete your bequest, you will need to complete and sign the form and then send it back to the person who originally sent the form to you.

The last step in leaving any bequest involves the transfer to charity. When you pass away, the bequest property will be transferred to Community Foundation of Lorain County. The full value of this gift will be transferred tax-free and your estate will receive an estate tax charitable deduction.

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