Gifts in memory or celebration
Both memorial and celebratory gifts to MIT can accomplish multiple goals. They can celebrate a personal milestone, honor or commemorate a loved one—and, of course, further the Institute’s service to society.
Memorial gifts
No matter what their size, gifts to commemorate a family member, classmate, faculty member, or friend can be designated toward any existing MIT program or fund—perhaps one to which the decedent directed gifts during his or her lifetime—or left to the discretion of the Institute.
Another option is the Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship Fund, where memorial gifts are combined in an endowed fund to provide scholarship support for deserving MIT undergraduate students.
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| Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship Fund | Add to my gift form |
You might also choose to establish a named memorial fund. This can be done at the time of death or at any time following. Even if you are not yet sure how you wish to designate the use of the new fund, you can establish a pending memorial gift account and decide upon a specific purpose within two years.
Should you wish to include this information in an obituary, here is some sample wording:
In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to MIT for the [name of fund]. Checks should be payable to MIT and mailed to Bonny Kellermann, Director of Memorial Gifts; 600 Memorial Drive, W98-500; Cambridge, MA 02139. Please include a note stating that your gift is in memory of [name].
If you wish to set up a commemorative fund to which others can contribute at the time of death, or if you have questions, please contact:
Bonny Kellermann
Director of Memorial Gifts
(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
617.253.9722
Here is a list of the many MIT alumni, alumnae, and friends in whose memory gifts to the Institute were made during fiscal year 2009 (July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009).
Celebratory gifts
Celebratory gifts to MIT, like memorial gifts, can accomplish multiple goals. They can celebrate a personal milestone—such as a birthday, wedding, anniversary, graduation, or retirement—while at the same time furthering the Institute’s service to society. Such gifts will be recorded in honor of the person being celebrated.
Just like memorial gifts, celebratory gifts—no matter what their size—can be designated toward a specific MIT program or fund. Or, their use may be left to the discretion of the Institute. If there are sufficient resources, donors can also establish a named fund to honor a family member, classmate, faculty member, or friend.
If setting up a named fund is in your plans, please contact:
Bonny Kellermann
Director of Special Constituencies
(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
617.253.9722
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Endowed memorial funds
You and your family may choose to establish either a new memorial fund or a pending memorial gift account.
Establishing a new memorial fund
Families can establish a new endowed memorial fund with gifts totaling $50,000 or more. With an endowed fund, MIT will spend only a portion of the fund’s income annually, reinvesting the remainder, thereby increasing the value of the fund.
For example, one endowed memorial fund might open with $50,000 in gifts and be designated for the support of MIT’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP); another, with gifts totaling several million dollars, might fund an endowed professorship; while still another might supplement the Institute’s unrestricted resources.
To set up a new memorial fund account, please call the Office of Memorial Gifts at 617.253.9722, with the name that you would like the fund to be known by, and the name and address of the person to whom the gifts should be reported.
Families may wish to consult with the department involved, in the case of some designated gifts, but in most cases, the memorial gifts office oversees the writing of a formal gift memorandum—the document that legally establishes the fund.
Upon receipt of a memorial gift, the Recording Secretary’s Office sends the donor a note of appreciation and acknowledgement for tax purposes. The memorial gifts office reports the names and addresses of all donors to a designated family member or friend.
In many cases, memorial funds can have positive tax implications. MIT’s staff can discuss options with you, including appreciated securities, charitable remainder trusts, and charitable gift annuities.
Named endowed funds have existed at MIT since 1884, when a fund was created in memory of William Barton Rogers, the founder and first president of MIT. The historic honor roll of endowed funds is listed annually in the MIT Report of the Treasurer.
Establishing a pending memorial gift account
At the time of death, families may choose to suggest in the obituary that donations be sent to MIT. Because the size of these gifts can vary, MIT can establish a pending memorial gift account in the name of the deceased. Several months later, when the stream of gifts has slowed, the Office of Memorial Gifts reviews with the family the amount on hand, discusses the likelihood of additional gifts, and helps them choose the fund’s designation based on the amount in the fund. If no specific designation is decided upon after two years, the fund, in the name of the person being memorialized, will be used for general support of the Institute.
To establish a memorial gift account, please call Bonny Kellermann, director of memorial gifts, at 617.253.9722 with the name that you would like the fund to carry, and the name and address of the person to whom the gifts should be reported. You can also send e-mail to (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Please include a mention of the fund in the obituary. Here is some sample wording:
In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to MIT for the [Name] Memorial Fund. Checks should be payable to MIT and mailed to Bonny Kellermann, Director of Memorial Gifts; 600 Memorial Drive, W98-500; Cambridge, MA 02139.
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