Join our ever-growing list of Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana donors. We live on in the acts of goodness we perform. By choosing to support your community through JEF, you become one in spirit with past generations of Jews whose generous gifts are today’s legacy.
The most flexible form of giving is the Unrestricted Gift to JEF’s General Fund. This permits the Jewish Endowment Foundation to use its discretion to meet the most pressing needs of the day. It was gifts to JEF’s General Fund that allowed JEF to fund the unprecedented needs presented by Hurricane Katrina and to underwrite unique programs such as the Shabbat dinners operated by Hillel in 2008. Donors enjoy the firm assurance that their contributions will be used wisely in the face of ever-changing future demands. Gifts can be made in the form of cash, securities, property, art work, or other items of monetary value acceptable to JEF’s Board of Directors.
You can name a fund to honor or memorialize a loved one. Income from the fund is used to support JEF and provide community grants.
You can add a simple codicil to your will to produce a bequest to the Unrestricted Fund. We recommend that you consult your attorney or your accountant before making any changes or additions to your will.
Download: Letter of Intent and Sample Bequest Language
You can establish a Donor Advised Fund to be maintained as a component of JEF with a gift of money or property. You can name the fund and recommend distributions to qualified charities subject to the approval of JEF’s Board of Directors. JEF makes it possible for anyone to become a philanthropist. You can open a Donor Advised Fund at JEF with as little as $500. You receive a letter from JEF for tax purposes and a binder for your paperwork. We charge a modest 1% annual administrative cost reimbursement to your fund. No distributions can be made until the fund reaches $10,000.
Assume your JEF Donor Advised Fund reaches a balance of $10,000 and makes annual gifts at a minimum of $100 each to different qualified charities. You use your fund for most of your charitable giving. JEF invests your fund’s assets, makes the distributions recommended by you and approved by our Board of Directors, and provides you with an annual statement.
Download: Donor Advised Fund Letter of Delivery
A Designated Fund specifies that all or part of the income earned by your gift may be used for a specific purpose, agency, or field of interest. A Designated Fund may be established in any name you choose. A Designated Fund may be used to perpetuate a Federation gift such as a Lion of Judah Endowment (LOJE) or a Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment (PACE).
Download: Designated Fund Letter of Delivery
No one is too young to become a philanthropist with JEF. Through the B’Nai Maimonides program, a bar or bat mitzvah makes a tax deductible minimum cash gift of $250 to JEF which is matched by $250 from two anonymous donors. The child can begin making small distributions from his or her fund immediately and JEF does not charge an administrative cost reimbursement.
Download: B’nai Maimonides Letter of Delivery
The Young Philanthropist program allows family and/or friends to open a JEF Donor Advised Fund for a minor child with a tax-deductible gift of as little as $500. Unlike regular Donor Advised Funds which cannot begin making distributions until the fund reaches $10,000, JEF allows the child to start his or her charitable contributions from the fund’s income as soon as the fund is established. There is no administrative cost reimbursement.
Download: Young Philanthropist Letter of Delivery
You can establish a Supporting Foundation affiliated with JEF in your name or your family’s name. Your foundation will be managed by a separate board of directors that will guide its investment policies and review which charities to support. There can be major tax incentives for existing private foundations to become Supporting Foundations.
You can donate a new or previously existing life insurance policy to JEF. Life insurance policy donations can increase income tax deductions while decreasing your taxable estate. You receive an income tax deduction at the time of your gift. If you continue to pay permanent premiums on that policy, each payment constitutes a charitable contribution at that time.
Any funds remaining in an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or other type of retirement plan may be taxed substantially after your death and/or that of your spouse. Taxes due on your retirement plan may be avoided by naming JEF or another charity as the beneficiary of your plan. The company holding your plan can provide you with a Beneficiary Designation Form.
You can establish a fund in your name or that of your family through several types of remainder trusts tailored to meet your estate planning goals and the needs of your beneficiaries. You set aside an asset for the Jewish Endowment Foundation while continuing to receive income from it during your lifetime. The income may continue for the life of additional beneficiaries, such as your spouse or children. Upon termination of the trust, the remaining principal reverts to JEF. Other assets can be left to your heirs and your Jewish community receives a significant contribution in your name from your retirement account.
A Charitable Lead Trust allows you to contribute to the Endowment while retaining assets for yourself or transferring them to others. Trust income is paid to JEF for a period of years determined when you establish the trust. After that time, the principal reverts to you, your spouse, your children, or your grandchildren.
A Charitable Gift Annuity transfers cash, stock, or other assets to the Jewish Endowment Foundation. In return, the Annuitant receives certain tax benefits and regular fixed payments for life. Payments vary depending upon the Annuitant’s age. A Charitable Gift Annuity can be purchased for an individual or a couple. Rates are available upon request.