Beneficiary designations

Make a gift in a few easy steps

Not everyone wants to commit to making a gift in their wills or estates. Some prefer the increased flexibility that a beneficiary designation provides by using:

IRAs and retirement plans
Life insurance policies
Donor advised funds
Commercial annuities

It is very simple to name the University of Edinburgh USA Development Trust as a beneficiary. Start by requesting a change-of-beneficiary form from your policy administrator or download the form from your provider's website. Make your desired changes and return the form to establish your gift.

See how it works

Learn more

Download our FREE guide Beneficiary designations: easy ways to leave your legacy.

An example of how it could work

Couples smiling Robert and Carol treasure the financial help they have been able to give their children and the University of Edinburgh USA Development Trust over the years. The couple recently updated their will to leave stocks and real estate to their kids. They left the University of Edinburgh USA Development Trust a $75,000 IRA to be transferred following their lifetime. Because the University of Edinburgh USA Development Trust is tax-exempt, all $75,000 will help support our mission.

If Robert and Carol had left the IRA to their children, approximately $18,000* would have gone to pay federal income taxes—leaving only $57,000 for their family's use. Robert and Carol are happy knowing they are making the most of their hard-earned money thanks to their updated estate plan.

*Based on an assumption of a 24% marginal income tax bracket.

Fund your donation with:

Next steps

Contact the administrator of your retirement plan, insurance policy or bank account for a change-of-beneficiary form, or simply download a form from your provider's website.
Decide what percentage (1 to 100) you would like the University of Edinburgh USA Development Trust to receive and name us, along with the percentage you chose, on the beneficiary form. Return the completed form.
Contact Morag Murison at +44 (0) 131 650 2240 or legacy-giving@ed.ac.uk to let us know your goals for the gift so we can ensure it is used as you intend.

Legal name: The University of Edinburgh USA Development Trust
Address: 45 Rockefeller Plaza, Ste 2000, New York, NY, 10111, USA
Federal tax ID number: 52-1802057

The University of Edinburgh USA Development Trust, Inc, is a registered charity, which supports students, teaching and research at the University of Edinburgh. The Trust is incorporated in the State of Virginia and is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Under its charter and in accordance with U.S. tax law, the University of Edinburgh USA Development Trust, Inc may not receive restricted gifts. However, the Board gives every consideration to donors’ requests when allocating gifts to the University of Edinburgh.

Please also note that the University of Edinburgh has its own charitable status. If you are a USA taxpayer, you can designate it as a beneficiary in your will because bequests to overseas charities are normally exempt from US estate tax. Life income gifts and other planned giving vehicles may need to be given to the University of Edinburgh USA Development Trust, Inc, in order to be eligible for favourable tax treatment under IRS rules.

Due to complexity of some gifts, we would encourage you to contact us to discuss your wishes in the first instance. Please note that the acceptance of each gift is decided on an individual basis.

We welcome enquiries from all donors throughout the US and Canada.