Planning for the future and creating the legacy you wish to leave is one of the most effective ways to ensure a lasting impact. Making a gift in your will or living trust, known as a bequest, can guarantee that your legacy endures. Your gift may be a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or the remainder after all other provisions are specified.
Our federal tax ID number is: 34-0714338
Below is suggested language to use when drafting your bequest.
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For an unrestricted gift that allows the Cleveland Museum of Natural History to determine how to use the funds based on the most pressing needs, use the following language for your will and/or trust:
"I give to Cleveland Museum of Natural History, a nonprofit corporation currently located at 1 Wade Oval Drive, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, or its successor thereto, _________ [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted charitable use and purpose."
To designate your provision for a particular purpose:
"I give to Cleveland Museum of Natural History, a nonprofit corporation currently located at 1 Wade Oval Drive, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, or its successor thereto, _________ [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property]. This gift should be used for (state purpose) if and so long as Cleveland Museum of Natural History determines that the need exists. If Cleveland Museum of Natural History shall determine at the outset or at a later time that the need does not exist, or no longer exists, or for some reason it is not possible (or prudent) to administer my gift as originally intended, then Cleveland Museum of Natural History may, in its sole and uncontrolled discretion, direct the use of my bequest for a purpose related as closely as possible to that stated above."
If you have named the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in your will or trust, please let us know so we can ensure that your gift is used according to your wishes. Notifying us of your plans will enable us to plan for the use of your future gift. However, if you prefer to remain anonymous, we will keep your name and gift in strict confidence.
Please contact Diane M. Strachan, CFRE, at 216.231.2060 or dstrachan@cmnh.org for more information.