Santa Monica College Foundation’s Heritage Club honors those special patrons who name the Foundation as a beneficiary of their estate or trust. With a gift to SMCF, one leaves a personal legacy of commitment to the goals of the College, the Foundation and, most importantly, our students for decades to come.

Bequests can be general or directed to specific interests/needs. Unrestricted gifts offer the most flexibility and allow the Foundation, in coordination with the campus administration, to determine their use based on the College’s critical needs at the time the bequest matures.

Restricted gifts may be donor-designated for scholarships, special programs, facilities and equipment, student services, faculty enrichment, or other special areas of interest.

There are many ways to become a member of the Heritage Club. You are inducted at once by informing the Foundation that you have included SMC in your estate planning for a minimum $10,000. Below are some of the ways you can do so:

Wills: You can designate a specific amount in cash or securities to benefit the college upon your death. Bequests, the most popular form of deferred giving, are used in 80% of the circumstances when individuals want to include a charitable organization in their long-term estate planning.

Trusts: One can create a variety of trusts to suit one’s own needs and intentions for the Foundation. For instance, a trust can be designed to provide life income for you or your significant other with the residual principal, at a future date, going to the SMCF.

One avenue is available through SMCF’s participation in a charitable gift annuity program sponsored by the Community College League of California and the Network of California Community College Foundations.

The consortium’s program was created to help community colleges provide this service to alumni, friends and supporters who want to make a significant gift and, at the same time, retain specified amounts from the gift property and its earnings during their lifetimes.

SMCF has experts available who can draft an annuity contract as well as offer assistance and consultation for anyone wishing advice on will preparation, and other planned giving options.

Life Insurance: A gift of life insurance often allows one to give much more than he/she would normally be able to do.

Real Estate, Personal Property, and Securities: Other opportunities for giving direct gifts can be advantageous – from a charitable deduction on your tax return to avoidance of capital gains tax on appreciated property.

Individual Retirement Accounts: By naming the Foundation as primary or secondary beneficiary of an IRA, the donor gets a charitable donation write-off and avoids paying taxes on withdrawals made from the IRA by the 501c3 non-profit organization.

A confidential consultation with an estate planning attorney, accountant, or other financial advisor can be arranged directly with the Foundation office, (310) 434-4215