You can make a difference to people’s lives

Many people each year leave a small amount through their wills to the State Trustees Australia Foundation.

What is a bequest?

A bequest is a gift, given by means of a will. It is a legacy, from one generation to the next. Bequeathing to a charitable trust enables your gift to assist charities and the wider community for many years after your passing.

Can I choose how my bequest is used?

Making a bequest from your estate to a perpetual charitable trust is a great way to make a difference, either by acknowledging an organisation that has helped you or someone you care about, or by supporting the community more broadly. You can choose between the established State Trustees Australia Foundation or create a Private Charitable Trust.

State Trustees Australia Foundation

Establishing a sub-fund within State Trustees Australia Foundation is a simple and cost-effective way to make an ongoing annual contribution to charity.  You can name the sub-fund after yourself, your family or an organisation. Where a sub-fund is established, your bequest is invested and its income distributed to charitable organisations every year. While the trustee ultimately has discretion over the annual distributions, you can request that your gift be used to benefit a particular charity that helps parts of the community in need or a particular charitable cause.

Private Charitable Trusts

Creating a Private Charitable Trust provides you with complete discretion over which charity or charitable cause you wish to benefit. A Private Charitable Trust can be created by leaving a bequest in your Will or by signing a deed to take effect while you are living. Tax deductibility is generally not available when creating or contributing to a Private Charitable Trust.

Your gift can make a difference

If you are not sure which charity you want to leave a bequest to or don’t think you have enough to make a difference, State Trustees Australia Foundation may be just what you are looking for. You don’t need to request a particular charity – instead you can request a charitable cause. Your bequest then combines with others to contribute to a lasting legacy which may, for example, help to improve the quality of life of those in need or support organisations working towards finding a cure for a particular medical condition.

It is as simple as choosing how much you want to leave and requesting the charitable cause you would like to support.

When you pass away, your bequest will go to the Foundation to be managed through our expert Charitable Trusts team with funds distributed through its annual grants programs. Eligible charities can apply for grants which are reviewed by an independent advisory committee.

How do I make a bequest?

A bequest, big or small, can be made from your estate. When considering establishing a Charitable Trust, our team of Charitable Trust professionals can help you to identify the best approach to giving and whether to donate to a cause or a specific organisation.

Bequest with State Trustees

State Trustees Australia Foundation is independently managed by its trustee, State Trustees. State Trustees uses in-house expertise for assessing and making grants, governance of funds, investment, and satisfying legal and taxation requirements.

State Trustees carefully invests the Foundation’s capital and diligently monitors investment performance and the investment landscape, making adjustments with the aim of growing the funds over time.

Margaret and John’s gift for their son

When preparing their wills, 70-year-olds Margaret and John Festival were asked by their will writer whether they wished to leave a bequest to a community organisation.

They decided to write identical Wills and leave a percentage of their estate to establish a memorial for their son Peter who died of cancer aged 2-years-old. In their Wills,

Margaret and John established a sub-fund of State Trustees Australia Foundation and requested that it be named the ‘Peter Festival Memorial’. They wanted to keep Peter’s name alive and requested that grants each year be used for cancer research.

The benefit of establishing a sub-fund, rather than giving directly to the charitable organisation, can be seen in the value created by this memorial. If the gift went directly to cancer research, it may have been used immediately. By leaving the gift to the State Trustees Australia Foundation, this meant that the initial amount was invested and therefore will continue to provide grants for years to come.

We can help you

The State Trustees Australia Foundation assists Victorians to make bequests to charitable organisations and causes through their wills. You can also make a donation, to see the impact your support can make to a cause you really care about.