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Legacy Society
It All Begins With You and The San Francisco Foundation
It All Begins With You and The San Francisco Foundation
Estate gifts to The San Francisco Foundation are key to our work and mission and your lasting impact in the community. Your gift enables us to grow our endowment and respond to the changing needs of the Bay Area now and into the future. With a strong endowment, we are able to continue to be responsive and strategic in making the Bay Area a better place for all.
The San Francisco Foundation’s deep roots in our communities make us a trusted partner for positive impact. For more than 60 years, we have been at the heart of our Bay Area community.
We have incubated original ideas and passionate leadership. We were the first funders of nonprofits now cornerstones of the Bay Area, such as KQED, The Trust for Public Land, Berkeley Repertory Theater, and Bridge Housing. We influenced significant policy initiatives in healthcare, social justice, and affordable housing. We continue to collaborate with donors, public agencies, and nonprofits toward the collective greater good.
What will you pass on to future generations?
For generations, Bay Area families have relied upon The San Francisco Foundation as a trusted partner in their philanthropy. We work hand in hand with donors to create legacies that fulfill their vision to make this region and the world a better place for all.
Join us and make a difference.
Contact Bobbie Chapman at 415.733.8521 or bchapman@sff.org to learn more about estate planning with The San Francisco Foundation.
Impact in the Community
Legacy gifts leave a lasting impact on the people and places in our community. Your gift helps create solutions to complex issues. A safe place to sleep, a wellness program to keep a child healthy, an afterschool youth orchestra, career-ladder job training, or protected wetlands in the San Francisco Bay.
These solutions and many, many others have all been funded by legacy donors whose vision and generosity will live on forever in the strength and beauty of the Bay Area. We invite you to explore our Program pages to learn more about our grantmaking and policy initiatives.
Ways to Leave Your Legacy
The San Francisco Foundation recognizes that each donor has unique philanthropic goals and objectives. Drawing on experience and creativity, we can help you design a planned giving solution that addresses your specific needs – both charitable and financial.
As your philanthropic partner, we work closely with you and your advisor to help determine the legacy you and your family will leave.
Bequests
You may bequeath a specific sum of money, a percentage of an estate, or a particular asset to The San Francisco Foundation. Whether designated or unrestricted, in your memory or in that of a loved one, the Foundation can work with you to create a lasting tribute.
The official bequest language for The San Francisco Foundation is: "I, [name], of [city, state, ZIP], give, devise, and bequeath to The San Francisco Foundation [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted use and purpose." To read more about bequests, please click here.
Charitable Trusts
Using cash or assets valued at $100,000 or more, you can create an irrevocable charitable remainder trust. As trustee, the Foundation invests and manages the trust, which generates income for you and passes the remainder to the Foundation to distribute according to your charitable goals. To read more about Charitable Trusts, please click here.
Trusts Established Under a Will
You may establish trusts to provide for both The San Francisco Foundation and other beneficiaries.
Retained Life Estates
Your home, one of your most valued possessions, can become a meaningful gift to The San Francisco Foundation – even while you are still living in it, and even if you want your spouse or other survivor to live there for life. To read more about Retained Life Estates, please click here.
Charitable Lead Trusts
You may provide inheritance to your children while also making a significant charitable gift. The income from these trusts flows to The San Francisco Foundation for a number of years, then its assets are distributed according to your plan. To read more about Charitable Lead Trusts, please click here.
Legacy Society
We are honored to recognize our legacy donors who play a pivotal role in The San Francisco Foundation’s significant impact on the lives of so many in the Bay Area. If you have named the Foundation in your estate plan, or are considering doing so, we invite you to become a member of the Foundation family and join the Legacy Society.
Enjoy the same benefits as our other donors, including professional advice and personal service for your philanthropy, exclusive presentations by our programmatic experts and other leaders in the financial and philanthropic fields, site visits to nonprofit organizations, as well as special luncheons and events just for our legacy donors.
Events
Annual Legacy Society Luncheon 2011
On Monday, May 9, 2011, we hosted our annual Legacy Society Luncheon to celebrate our legacy donors whose vision and generosity
truly transforms the lives of so many in the Bay Area. This luncheon was a special opportunity to engage with fellow
civic-minded philanthropists and hear from innovative nonprofit leaders
whose impact is made possible by estate gifts to The San Francisco
Foundation. This year we were honored to feature the inspiring work of
Nadine J. Burke, M.D., medical director of Bayview Child Health Center,
and Donald S. Falk, executive director of Tenderloin Neighborhood
Development Corporation. Diana Gameros, a local Latin-inspired musician,
also performed.
Read more about our 2011 Legacy Society Luncheon and view videos and photos from the day's event.
Past Events
Annual Legacy Society Luncheon 2010
We invited those who have named the Foundation in their estate plans, or are considering doing so, to join us for our annual Legacy Society Luncheon on March 24, 2010, including presentations by the innovative leaders at Davis Street Family Resource Center, EARN, and Red Poppy Art House. Read more about our 2010 Legacy Luncheon and view photos and a video here.
New Tax Law Update
This is the first year in decades that American tax law repealed the federal estate tax. To learn more about how this may impact your estate plan, please click here.
Legacy Donor Profiles
Susanna MacDonald
Local philanthropy and community involvement have been driving forces for Susanna MacDonald and her brother, Dr. Fred Novy, for their entire lives. Susanna’s mother, the painter Helen Forster Novy, cultivated in her daughter a holistic view of a thriving community and a passion for investing in it. Nonprofit organizations focused on education, community health, and disaster resiliency in the Bay Area are stronger for Susanna’s generosity and commitment. Acting upon the values and philosophies she shares with The San Francisco Foundation, Susanna has included the Foundation in her estate plan. Susanna’s legacy gift ensures that her vision and mission to make the Bay Area better for all will continue in perpetuity.
Nigel and Barbara Renton
Nigel and Barbara Renton’s kindness, passion, and respect for the world have driven them to generously donate their talents and resources to the community that has enriched their lives. With lifelong interests in education, the arts, and the environment, Nigel and Barbara have steadily supported causes close to their hearts. As their financial situation evolved, they made a longer term commitment, opening a donor advised fund at The San Francisco Foundation and using assets of appreciated stocks to fund a charitable remainder unitrust. The Renton’s legacy gift provides a stream of income to them and will support both their donor advised fund and their most revered causes, strengthening our community for generations to come.
Ann Chamberlain
For acclaimed visual artist Ann Chamberlain, collaboration was a key creative force. From immigrants and cancer survivors, to indigenous women and prisoners – these were her co-creators as she designed large-scale public commissions, printed books, and installations. As both an artist and a tenured faculty member at the San Francisco Art Institute, she was deeply committed to her belief that art has the potential to redefine public space, and therefore peoples’ lives and histories. Ann’s strong commitment to the community was closely aligned with the mission and values of The San Francisco Foundation. Through her estate, she established the Harker Fund to support fellowships for instructors of the fine arts. The Fund promises to build on her personal legacy to enrich and broaden arts education in the Bay Area.
Contact Us
Please contact Bobbie Chapman at 415.733.8521 or bchapman@sff.org to learn more about estate planning with The San Francisco Foundation.