Charitable Planning

At Schneider Bell, we understand that charitable giving is deeply personal—it's about making a difference, leaving a legacy and supporting the causes closest to your heart.

Our Charitable Planning services offer peace of mind by helping you create a thoughtful, tax-efficient giving strategy tailored to your philanthropic vision. Whether you’re interested in establishing a private foundation or donor advised fund, creating a charitable trust or finding the most efficient way of making direct contributions, our team will guide you through every step, ensuring your contributions align with your values and financial goals. With us, you can confidently build a lasting impact for the causes you care about most.

Focus Areas:

Asset Protection Planning

Charitable Planning

Estate, Gift and GST Tax Planning

Income Tax Planning

Multi-Generational Planning

Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements

Retirement Distribution Planning

Why Is Charitable Planning Important to My Estate Plan?

For many, charitable giving is a way to make a positive impact on the world while also providing significant financial advantages. Charitable planning can reduce taxable income, minimize estate taxes and enhance financial flexibility, especially when giving is coordinated with family wealth transfer strategies. Additionally, structured giving options, like foundations, donor advised funds, and trusts, allow donors to retain some level of control over the timing, amount and purpose of their donations, ensuring their contributions are used as intended. Charitable planning enables donors to create a structured, intentional approach to giving that aligns with both personal and family values, making philanthropy more impactful and sustainable.

Charitable Planning Options

When it comes to charitable giving, there are numerous options to consider, each offering unique advantages:

  • Outright Gifts: Directing donations of cash, securities, or other assets to public charities.
  • Donor Advised Funds (DAF): Establishing a fund at a public charity in the donor’s name, where the charity consults with the donor on the amount and timing of contributions to other operating charities.
  • Endowed Chairs/Professorships: Supporting educational, medical or arts institutions with funding for specific academic positions.
  • Private Foundations: Creating your family’s own tax-exempt organization that makes grants and other activities to support public charities, allowing family members to remain actively involved.
  • Charitable Gift Annuities and Pooled Income Funds: Giving assets to a charity in return for annuity payments to the donor and their spouse.
  • Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT): Providing income to the donor or other family member for a set period or lifetime, with the remainder going to charity.
  • Charitable Lead Trust (CLT): Paying income to a charity for a set period, with the remainder going to family members or back to the donor.

Planning and Coordinating Charitable Giving

Charitable giving often intersects with family legacy and wealth transfer planning. Our estate planning team works closely with clients to develop giving-plans that balance their philanthropic objectives with family goals, allowing for an efficient and effective transfer of wealth. By strategically choosing the correct assets to give or by dividing interests between family members and charitable organizations, donors can maximize tax benefits and reduce potential gift and estate tax burdens, ultimately creating a cohesive and tax-efficient plan that supports both charitable and family priorities.

Ongoing Administrative and Compliance Support

For clients with private foundations or charitable trusts, we offer comprehensive administrative and compliance support. Charitable giving structures often come with regulatory requirements, such as minimum spending rules, restrictions on recipients and detailed tax reporting. Our team provides ongoing advice on compliance matters, including preparing informational returns, ensuring charitable spending meets legal standards and addressing any restrictions on the activities of donors, trustees or managers. We are dedicated to helping clients meet their philanthropic goals while navigating the nuances that comes with charitable giving. Explore our Private Foundations Services.

Why Choose Us?

Schneider Bell is the gold standard in estate planning and charitable structuring. We are deeply rooted in philanthropy and remain steadfast in ensuring our clients’ wealth continues to impact generations through their giving. We take time to understand the heart behind the gift, then we build the best strategy. Our attorneys are skilled in designing tailored charitable giving strategies that honor clients’ values, optimize tax benefits and ensure long-term compliance. From establishing private foundations and drafting gift agreements to coordinating with existing charities, we bring a wealth of knowledge to every aspect of charitable planning. Known for our commitment to excellence, we provide clients with the highest standard of service and guidance, making us the go-to firm for sophisticated charitable planning solutions. We take pride in helping clients transform their philanthropic vision into a lasting legacy.

We can’t wait to hear about your charitable plans. Contact our legal team today. It would be an honor to help you achieve your goals.

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