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Gifts of Bequest
You may make a gift of cash, securities, real estate, or other assets by providing in your will for a bequest to the University. Your gift may be a specific bequest of a designated sum or asset, or it may be a percentage of your residuary estate.
The value of your bequest to the University is fully deductible for estate tax purposes. You may also establish an income-producing planned gift for the benefit of others through your will, thereby reducing your taxable estate. A bequest, whether outright or to fund a planned gift, can be a useful and advantageous addition to your estate plan.
R. La Jeune Bradford
R. La Jeune Bradford, SB’43, SM’46, has bequeathed her home in Denver to the University. Bradford has designated that the proceeds from the sale of her home be used to establish a scholarship fund for an underprivileged African-American student in the College. When she attended the College, Bradford’s
family had limited resources and few scholarship funds existed for students in her position. Instead, she relied heavily on loans to pay for her education—an investment that has benefited her to this day.
“The education I got at the University of Chicago was essential to my survival,” says Bradford. “A professor helped me get my first job. That first job was important because there was a great deal of discrimination at that time.”
Without any children of her own to provide for, Bradford decided she’d like to give others access to the same educational opportunities she received. “I got to thinking that the University of Chicago was expensive at the time I went and it still is. So I thought I would help someone attend the College today.”
