MAKE YOUR MARK
Funding an endowment, a facility, or a program allows a donor to make an indelible mark on the University. A gift that meets certain criteria brings with it the opportunity for the benefactor to receive recognition or pay tribute to a loved one, a friend, or a colleague.

Named Endowments
The University has established endowment levels to ensure lasting and sufficient support for its funding needs. Endowments created at these levels may be named by donors and designated to support such purposes as faculty chairs, scholarships, fellowships, lectureships, memorial funds, book funds, and prizes.

Naming opportunities include:
·  Naming a Building
·  Endowed Professorships
·  Scholarships and Fellowships
·  Unrestricted Endowments
·  Centers, Institutes, Departments, and Programs

The University of Mississippi Foundation is a tax exempt 501 (c)(3) non- profit corporation chartered in 1973 by the State of Mississippi to operate exclusively for the benefit of The University of Mississippi and its students, alumni, faculty and staff; and to this end, to promote, encourage and assist all forms of educational, scientific, literary, research and service activities provided by the University, all for the public welfare.

When you make a planned gift, you can receive significant tax benefits. Depending on the giving vehicle, you may

1. Remove the value of your gift from your estate, which will lower the amount you pay in estate taxes. Gifts of life insurance and IRAs are fully deducted from your estate. (You also receive an income tax deduction for an IRA.) Currently, an individual can pass $1 million to his or her heirs before entering estate tax brackets of up to 55 percent.

2. Deduct your gift from your current yearly income, which can lower your federal income tax for the year in which you make the gift.

- With gifts such as cash, you can deduct up to 50 percent of your adjusted gross income in the year of the gift, and if necessary, carry forward the balance of the deduction for up to five years.
- If your gift comprises appreciated securities, you receive an immediate charitable income tax deduction and avoid paying capital gains tax (thus making your gift that much larger). For appreciated securities, personal property, and real estate, you can receive a deduction of up to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income for the fair market value of the asset. Note that if you fund a gift annuity or charitable remainder trust, you receive an income tax deduction in the year of the gift, and you remove the assets from your taxable estate
- If you fund a charitable gift annuity, a portion of the gift is deductible from your federal income taxes (because you receive an income stream in return for your gift). The same tax advantage applies for charitable remainder trusts, which also create a lifetime income stream.

If you have additional questions, please contact the Office of Planned Giving at (662) 915-5944.

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