Gifts That Support UJA-Federation Today

This type of gift arrangement allows a donor to direct gifts to UJA-Federation for a specified period of time and receive either a charitable deduction now for gifts made in subsequent years or a reduction in gift or estate taxes on property the donor wishes to pass to heirs.

There are two types of charitable lead trusts (CLTs): the grantor lead trust and the more popular nongrantor lead trust, which was made famous by the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Under the nongrantor plan, the donor irrevocably transfers assets to a trustee and provides that payments be made to UJA-Federation for a certain number of years (or until the end of the donor's or another's life). Then the principal is distributed to children, grandchildren, or other heirs. The principal passes to heirs at greatly reduced gift- and estate-tax rates and sometimes escapes them altogether. The charitable lead trust may appeal to individuals who wish to make a charitable gift but retain the property in their family.

CLTs are simple in concept but are complex gift- and estate-planning devices because of the many technical drafting requirements of the IRS. We recommend you consult an attorney who specializes in trusts and estates and has experience with CLTs.

Most donors who use CLTs to accomplish their philanthropic and estate-planning objectives opt to create a qualified CLT. Many requirements must be met for a CLT to be qualified, but here are a few major considerations:

• The payments (gifts) to UJA-Federation must be an annuity interest (fixed-dollar amount annually) or unitrust interest (fixed percentage of the fair-market value of the trust assets determined annually). There are no minimum or maximum payout rates.
• The term of the trust (the number of years in which gifts will be made) must be measured by the life or lives of a person or persons living when the trust is created or a specified number of years.
• The charitable beneficiary must be an organization described in the appropriate sections of the IRS Code. UJA-Federation is a qualified charitable organization.