Sample Bequest Language

An excellent way for you to support the missions of Southwestern Medical Foundation and UT Southwestern Medical Center is to leave us a bequest in your will or revocable living trust. In addition to being able to leave a lasting legacy, one significant benefit of making a bequest is that it allows you to continue to use the property during your life.

Types of Bequests

There are a number of ways you can make a bequest to the Foundation for the benefit of UT Southwestern.

Specific Bequest. A specific bequest involves making a gift of a specific asset, such as real estate, a car, other property, or a gift for a specific dollar amount. For example, you may wish to leave your home or $100,000 to the Foundation.

Percentage Bequest. Another kind of bequest involves leaving a specific percentage of your overall estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 10% of your estate to the Foundation.

Residual Bequest. A residual bequest is made from the remaining assets of an estate or trust after the specific bequests have been made. For example, you might bequeath your home to your children, and 30% of the residue of your estate (i.e., 30% of the remaining estate assets) to the Foundation.

Contingent Bequest. A contingent bequest is a bequest that is made to charity only if your primary beneficiary predeceases you. For example, your will could state that you leave specific property, such as a vacation home to a relative if the relative survives you, but if not, then to the Foundation.

Bequest Benefits

A bequest is generally a revocable gift, which means it can be revoked or modified by you at any time. You can designate that a bequest be used by the Foundation or UT Southwestern for its general purposes. Bequests to the Foundation are exempt from federal estate taxes. If you have a taxable estate, the estate tax charitable deduction may offset or eliminate estate taxes, resulting in a larger inheritance for your heirs.

Bequest Language

To make a bequest to Southwestern Medical Foundation for the benefit of UT Southwestern Medical Center, you should speak with your attorney, who can help you include the gift in your estate plan. Please contact us prior to including in your estate plan a bequest of specific tangible personal property (e.g., artwork or antiques) or specific real estate. Below, we have provided some basic bequest language to assist you and your attorney.

Bequest Examples 

Bequest of a Specific Dollar Amount

I give, devise, and bequeath the sum of ______ dollars ($______) to Southwestern Medical Foundation, located in Dallas, Texas, to be used for the benefit of the UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Percentage Bequest

I give, devise, and bequeath ______ percent (____%) of my estate to Southwestern Medical Foundation, located in Dallas, Texas, to be used for the benefit of the UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Residual Bequest

I hereby give, devise, and bequeath (select one: ALL or A PERCENTAGE) of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate to Southwestern Medical Foundation, located in Dallas, Texas, to be used for the benefit of the UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Bequests for a Specific Purpose

If you are considering a bequest but would like to ensure it will be used for a specific purpose, rather than for the general purposes of the Foundation or UT Southwestern, please let us know. We would be happy to work with you and your attorney to help you identify ways to give and meet your philanthropic objectives.

If you are making a bequest for a specific purpose, we suggest that your attorney include in your will or trust Agreement the following provision to give the Foundation the ability to identify a new purpose, in the spirit of your original purpose, if circumstances change in the future:

If, whether before or after my death, at any time future circumstances change so that the above-stated purpose for which this bequest is made becomes impossible to achieve, impracticable, or wasteful, then Southwestern Medical Foundation may designate an alternative purpose for the use of these funds, which should be as close as reasonably possible to the original purpose of this bequest and consistent with the exempt purposes of Southwestern Medical Foundation.

Contact Us

Please contact us if you have any questions about how to make a bequest to Southwestern Medical Foundation or UT Southwestern or to request any additional information that might be helpful to you and your attorney as you consider making a bequest to us.

If you have included a bequest for Southwestern Medical Foundation or UT Southwestern in your estate plan, please contact us to let us know. We would like to be able to recognize you for your gift.

Bequests in Support of other Health Care Organizations

If you would like to support another health care organization other than UT Southwestern through a bequest to Southwestern Medical Foundation, please give us a call at (214) 351-6143. We will be happy to work with you and your attorney to draft a bequest to help you meet your charitable objectives.

We appreciate you including us in your planning.

Making a gift to Southwestern Medical Foundation in your will qualifies you for membership in The Wildenthal Society. This is our way to thank you for supporting our future as you plan for yours. Read more about the The Wildenthal Society.