Gift Agreements

Endowments and Current Use Gifts 

Gift agreements and minimum funding levels are required for all gifts that are to be endowed or are ‘term/current-use’ gifts where the following are true:  

• The gift will establish a new fund, i.e., the monies cannot be allocated to an already existing fund, as there are none that encompass the purpose of the gift, and/or
• The gift is to establish a named fund.
   

Gifts intended for already-established funds and that don’t meet any of the conditions above do not require an agreement. 

Your fundraiser will work with the donor and the Manager of Endowment & Gift Documentation (MEGD) to craft an agreement to meet the needs of the donor and the receiving department.

Please contact your fundraiser for questions about the process.
 

Estate Gifts and New Endowment Information Sheets (NEIS) 

Estate and Trust Gifts

The University of Washington receives gifts from more than 100 estates every year. The Office for Planned Giving administers all estate gifts. All correspondence, checks, notices, and receipts regarding gifts from wills, trusts, retirement accounts, life insurance policies, or other gifts coming to the UW following a donor’s death such as proceeds from a terminated life income plan should be sent to Elizabeth Garner, Manager of Estates, Box 359515.

You may also notify the appropriate fundraiser for questions and to begin the process of receiving estate gifts and new endowments. They will work with the Office for Planned Giving and the Manager of Endowment & Gift Documentation (MEGD) to create a New Endowment Information Sheet (NEIS).  

Establishing an Endowment

• When a donor passes, the executor of the estate/trust contacts UW, specifically Elizabeth Garner, Manager of Estates, to inform the institution that they are a beneficiary.
• Elizabeth will inform the fundraiser for the benefitting unit of the gift.
• UW has a legal obligation to accept gifts through bequests, unless they are deemed illegal due to certain language/spending obligations. If gifts are deemed illegal, Elizabeth will work with the Attorney General’s Office to negotiate in court.
• Gifts typically take a minimum of 4-18 months to be received and can come in multiple installments.
• Gifts are accepted even if the naming is outdated (i.e. “Far East”).
• Gift details are based on wills and other bequest-related documents, not UW language.
• Estate gifts larger than $25,000 are always endowed (by UW policy), unless a donor’s testamentary directions state otherwise.

Endowments funded by estate gifts are established internally with a New Endowment Information Sheet (NEIS). The Manager of Estates is responsible for completion of all NEIS documents. The NEIS is the primary gift agreement for estate gifts and the language in the document is directly from the donor’s will.

• Jill Doran, Director of Advancement Services, and Theresa Mejia, Manager of Endowment & Gift Documentation (MEGD) are the main contacts for the College for estate and trust gifts.

Stewardship of Estate Gifts

Advancement Services works with Elizabeth Garner on stewardship of estate and trust gifts.

• Elizabeth Garner should be contacted about appropriateness of a stewardship letter.
• CAS Departments should not send stewardship letters until they have communicated with Advancement. Here is a link to CAS fundraisers.

Grants (coming soon)

Please contact the Advancement Services team anytime at CASadser@uw.edu with questions or for more information about gifts that require formal gift agreements and documentation.

Theresa Mejia, Manager, Endowment & Gift Documentation
Advancement Services
tmejia@uw.edu | 206.616.5373