You can play a direct role in ensuring that our work to protect and steward open spaces continues now, and for future generations.
Your legacy gift can be either dedicated to general support, or restricted to our Endowment, a revolving capital fund utilized time and time again for decades to come. Because Prickly Pear Land Trust is recognized as a tax-deductible 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, any bequest you make will be 100% deductible, thus reducing the size of your taxable estate for federal and state estate tax purposes.
Allocate a specific amount or percentage of your estate or other assets to PPLT. You may also specify that after your beneficiaries have been provided for, the remaining funds will go to PPLT.
Legal Designation and Sample Wording
“I hereby give and bequeath ______ (amount or percentage of your estate, residuary share or other assets) to Prickly Pear Land Trust 40 W. Lawrence Suite A Helena, MT 59601 for general purposes.”
Tax ID number: 81-0506868
Make a Retirement Plan Designation
Choose Prickly Pear Land Trust as a beneficiary of your retirement plan. The gift, exempt from federal estate tax, is a way to maximize the benefit of your gift and minimize your tax benefit. Name Prickly Pear Land Trust as a beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k) or other qualified retirement plan.
Ask your plan administrator to designate PPLT to receive all or a portion of the balance of your retirement plan. Beneficiary designations can be changed or revoked at any time without a penalty, and your regular lifetime withdrawals will not be affected.
When you designate PPLT as the recipient of your plan, you’ll contribute to the greater Helena area while avoiding the double taxation your retirement savings would incur should you leave it to your heirs. Your retirement fund can be taxed up to 75% if passed on to heirs, yet it’s tax-free to charity.
A Charitable Remainder Trust is a tax-exempt trust that pays income to your designee. When the trust terminates, the remaining assets will be paid to Prickly Pear Land Trust. By placing assets in a charitable trust, you or your designated beneficiary can enjoy lifetime income from the trust and tax benefits at the same time. Upon termination of the trust the remainder goes to Prickly Pear Land Trust.
With Prickly Pear Land Trust named owner and beneficiary of a paid-up insurance policy, Prickly Pear gains support and you receive a charitable deduction. You can simply bequeath a specific amount or percentage of your life insurance policy. There are many ways that you can use your life insurance policy to benefit both you, by maximizing your federal income tax deduction, and PPLT.
The Individual Retirement Account (IRA) Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) allows you to make a direct distribution from your IRA account to support Prickly Pear Land Trust. If you are 70½ or older, you may transfer up to $100,000 from your IRA to Prickly Pear Land Trust directly. These gifts are not taxable and qualify toward your required minimum distribution at age 72 or greater.
In exchange for a gift of cash, marketable securities or – in some cases – real estate, Prickly Pear will contractually guarantee to pay you and/or your beneficiary a specified annuity. The annuity can be immediate or deferred and can provide substantial income and estate tax benefits.
A charitable lead trust provides for a gift of an income interest to Prickly Pear Land Trust from property placed in the land trust for a term of years, after which the property reverts to you or a non-charitable beneficiary you designate. A Charitable Lead Trust is a way to pass assets along to your heirs while receiving tax benefit. Fund a trust that pays income to Western Rivers Conservancy for a period of time (such as your lifetime or a number of years). Then, at the end of the term, the remainder is returned to either you or your heirs.
The Montana Income Tax Credit for Endowed Philanthropy encourages charitable giving to qualified endowments by offering incentives to Montana taxpayers.
Originally enacted in 1997, the Montana Income Tax Credit for Endowed Philanthropy encourages charitable giving to qualified endowments by offering incentives to Montana taxpayers. An endowment is a fund held by a tax-exempt organization where the principal of the fund is not wholly expendable. Only the interest and appreciation earned in an endowment fund can be used for current operations, providing a stable source of funding to help organizations like Prickly Pear Land Trust meet long-term needs.
Through this unique tax credit incentive a person, business, or organization paying income taxes in the State of Montana can receive a reduction on the taxes s/he owes – up to $10,000 per year – by making a qualified charitable contribution to a qualified endowment. Prickly Pear Land Trust has a qualified endowment.
The Montana charitable endowment tax credit provides a credit against state income tax liability in the amount of 20% of the present value of an outright gift by a business entity to a permanent endowment of a Montana charity up to a maximum of $10,000 per year per taxpayer. (Applies to corporations, small business corporations, partnerships, or limited liability company taxpayers)
The tax credit provides a unique opportunity to significantly reduce the taxes you owe, while making an important gift for the future of Prickly Pear Land Trust’s work.
The Montana charitable endowment tax credit provides a credit against state income tax liability in the amount of 40% of the present value of any planned gift to a permanent endowment of a Montana charity up to a maximum amount of $10,000 per year per taxpayer. (Applies to individual or business entity taxpayers)
For more information on this legacy giving and how it might benefit you, your loved ones, and PPLT, please contact Rebecca Dudek, Development Manager (406) 442-0490 or via email.