Estate Planning Newsletter

Charitable Trusts

It is possible to set up a trust for charitable purposes. Charitable trusts are quite common, but certain requirements must be met.

Purpose of a Charitable Gift

Reasons for charitable gifts funded through a trust include the desire to:

• Help relieve poverty
• Help the elderly
• Advance a religion
• Benefit educational establishments
• Aid with the construction or maintenance of public property (such as a park)
• Prevent animal cruelty

How Are Beneficiaries Designated?

In general, beneficiaries of charitable gifts must have a broader scope:

• Cannot be specifically named people
• Can be a class of persons
• May be institutions

In some cases, a charitable gift may be given to a non-charitable organization. However, there must be a charitable intent; otherwise the trust is invalid as a charitable trust.

Supervision & Regulation

In some states, the office of the Attorney General oversees charitable trust activity. The Attorney General’s duties in this regard include:

• Maintaining a register of charitable corporations, trustees, and trusts
• Investigating transactions relating to charitable trusts
• Enforcing charitable trusts
• Recovering property on behalf of a charitable trust

Cy Pres Doctrine

If your charitable wishes cannot be fulfilled for some reason, the appropriate court will attempt to carry out your wishes by giving the property to an organization with a related charitable purpose. For example, a charitable trust set up to eradicate polio may instead be given to aid a pediatric foundation.

© 2025 NextClient.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

• The Cy Pres Rule
  If you create an estate planning document leaving property to a charity, but after your death the transfer cannot occur, the court may apply the cy pres rule. The words “cy pres” are French for “as near.”... Read more.
• Totten Trusts for Assets Payable on Death
  A decedent’s assets may be transferred upon their death to their heirs or other beneficiaries through probate. “Probate” is the legal process by which a court determines who receives a decedent’s assets under... Read more.
• Gift Tax and the Annual Exclusion
  A gift tax is a tax on the privilege of making gifts to others while the taxpayer is still living. The gift tax supplements the estate tax, which taxes gifts made upon death. The gift tax was created to frustrate the attempts of those... Read more.
• IRS Issues Proposed Regulations on Delaware Series LLC
  Limited Liability Companies (“LLCs”) are a form of business ownership which is a separate legal entity much like a corporation. An LLC is treated like a partnership for tax purposes and like a corporation for liability... Read more.

• Daddy Yankee Files Federal RICO Lawsuit Against Former Manager Over Alleged Royalty Scheme
• Panda Express Agrees to Pay Over $1 Million to Resolve California Hazardous Materials Training Lawsuit
• Hawai‘i Files Consumer Protection Lawsuit Against TikTok and ByteDance for Alleged Child Harm
• Resorts World Las Vegas Sued in Federal RICO Case Over Alleged Money Laundering Violations
• Cardi B Prevails Again as Judge Rejects Bid for New Trial After Beverly Hills Altercation