Charitable Giving
Perpetual can help you with your charitable vision to create a lasting gift – one that will benefit and support your chosen purposes in perpetuity.
Consider your options for philanthropic giving:
- Give of yourself: Volunteer your time, effort or skill to provide an instant reward to organisations who are short on resources. There is also no greater feeling than seeing your participation result in the betterment of a cause.
- Donate cash or property: From door-knock appeals to payroll deducted donations, generous people help fund many not-for-profit organisations through spontaneous giving. Larger bequests of cash or property are also donated regularly.
- Establish a charitable trust: This type of giving preserves your donation and the income from the investment of cash or property is used to support and benefit your chosen purpose in perpetuity.
Whether you wish to donate cash, property, shares or other assets, with a charitable trust your proceeds are invested and the income earned is distributed each year. Over the years the capital is nurtured so that your trust grows to become a significant and lasting legacy.
We have been managing charitable investments for over 120 years and understand the special requirements of charitable trusts. We use our expertise to safeguard your gift and make sure it is used wisely and for the purpose you intended. See examples of projects supported by our funds at our page Gifts making a difference.
Setting up your charitable trust
A charitable trust can be established during your lifetime or through your Will. It is often more effective to establish the fund during your lifetime as a Prescribed Private Fund to take an active part in its development. This is generally more tax effective for you as well.
You may wish to donate via the Perpetual Foundation Gift Fund offering flexibility through strategic gifting partnerships. The right solution depends on your circumstances and objectives and is another important consideration in your total financial management.
Prescribed Private Funds
Perpetual can help you establish an individual, group or family charitable trust, known as a prescribed private fund, with the correct structure to support your chosen purpose. We can guide you through available options and advise you on tax and legal issues.
Through our broad knowledge of charitable organisations we can help you find a worthy recipient of your generosity and an appropriate way to bring your wishes to reality. You can set up your prescribed private fund to benefit a specific recipient for the purpose of providing grants or awards and scholarships.
Perpetual can serve as trustee of your prescribed private fund, managing the investments so they grow over time and provide the maximum benefit to your chosen purpose. We are currently trustee or co-trustee to nearly 400 charitable trusts valued at over $1 billion. These help fund thousands of projects and organisations - some examples include the Teen Spirit Foundation and Trust for Nature Foundation. For specific arts and education awards, see our awards and scholarships.
We also offer advisory and investment services to charitable foundations, ensuring investments are made prudently and in compliance with all legal, tax and administrative requirements.
