No matter your goal — be it eliminating taxes or increasing an income stream — there is most likely a way to make a gift to fit your objective. Further, any type of gift is certain to help McDonald Observatory improve science education for teachers and students nationwide. We value your support and want to help you make the right gift to support a cause that you care about.

To make a gift to benefit McDonald Observatory, please name The University of Texas McDonald Observatory as beneficiary.

For an e-brochure on 12 Ways to Leave a Legacy, fill in our request form.

Retained Life Estate
One of your valued possessions, your home, can become a valued gift to us even while you are still living in it, and even if you want your spouse or other survivor to live there for life. This arrangement is called a retained life estate.

Charitable Lead Trust
If your goal is to provide an inheritance for your children, but you would also like to make a significant charitable gift through your estate, find out how a charitable lead trust can help satisfy both objectives by giving a significant charitable gift through your estate and providing an inheritance to your children.

Charitable Gift Annuity
The concept of the charitable gift annuity in America dates back to 1843, when a merchant in Boston first donated a gift of money to the American Bible Society in exchange for a flow of income. Today, the concept includes valuable tax benefits for donors. But perhaps more valuable than the financial advantages is the satisfaction donors gain by helping support McDonald Observatory’s mission to increase science literacy in the U.S.

Bequests
One of the simplest ways to give, bequests allow you to leave your legacy by making a gift in your will to friends, family, and charitable organizations.

Pooled Income Fund
When you contribute to the pooled income fund for McDonald Observatory, you receive an income for the rest of your life, as well as a current income tax deduction. You make a meaningful gift to us—a gift that also gives back to you.

Donor Advised Funds: The Fund That Listens to You
Today, mainstream Americans with a fraction of the resources of people like the Gateses, the Rockefellers, or the Dells can take an active role in benefiting their communities through donor advised funds, which are funds created through community foundations and the like.

Wealth Replacement Trust
If you would like to make a sizable contribution now to help meet our current needs, but you don't want to reduce the estate you will pass to your family, one solution may be to purchase life insurance.

Charitable Remainder Trust
What are your plans for the future? While there is no single way to achieve all of your personal and financial goals, there is one strategy that can meet many of your needs. It’s called a charitable remainder trust. Under the right circumstances, this plan can increase your income, reduce your taxes, unlock appreciated investments, rid you of investment worries, and ultimately provide very important support.

Gifts of Retirement Plan Assets
Did you know that nearly half your retirement plan assets may be eaten away by taxes at your death? Learn how to preserve more of your estate for the people and organizations that matter most in your life.

Gifts of Securities
The best stocks to donate are those that have increased greatly in value, particularly those producing a low yield. Even if it is stock you wish to keep in your portfolio, by giving us the stock and using cash to buy the same stock through your broker, you will have received the same income tax deduction but will have a new, higher basis in the stock.

Gifts of Cash
Giving cash is one of the simplest ways to give; however, you can deduct a cash gift for income tax purposes only in the year in which you contribute it. Your cash gifts are deductible up to 50 percent of your adjusted gross income for the taxable year, but any excess is deductible over the next five years.

Gifts of Real Estate
If you own property that is fully paid off and has appreciated in value, an outright gift may be the simplest solution. You can deduct the fair market value of your gift, avoid all capital gains taxes and remove that asset from your taxable estate. You can transfer the deed of your home or farm to us now and keep the right to use the property for your lifetime and that of your spouse.

Gifts of Life Insurance
You can donate a life insurance policy to us or simply name us as the beneficiary. For the gift of a paid-up policy, you will receive an income tax deduction equal to the lesser of the cash value of the policy or the total premiums paid. To qualify for the federal charitable contribution deduction on a gift of an existing policy, you must name us as owner and beneficiary.

Gifts of Securities: Closely Held Stock
Closely held stock, that which is not publicly traded, can also be used as a charitable gift even if you want to maintain a control position in the stock.

For information on how to achieve your financial goals, while supporting McDonald Observatory and the work of improving science education, please talk to your financial advisor. You may also contact the University of Texas Gift Planning Office for additional resources, or to talk to gift planning specialists.