Planned Giving

In your will

Including KET in your will is easy, and it allows you to continue taking care of your loved ones while knowing that you’ll leave a lasting impact on the programs and services you most enjoy.  

To make a gift to KET in your will, ask your attorney to simply list the Commonwealth Fund for KET as a beneficiary of:

• A specific dollar amount
• A percentage of the estate
• A share of the residual of the estate
• As a beneficiary of your life insurance or IRA

You may also name KET as a contingent beneficiary along with your loved ones.

To include KET in your will, please use the following information:

• Commonwealth Fund for KET
• Tax ID: 61-1285473
• 600 Cooper Drive
• Lexington, KY 40502

For questions, please contact Kacie Miller kmiller@ket.org.

With your IRA

Reduce your taxable income with a charitable distribution from your IRA.

It’s important to stay on top of your required minimum distribution (RMD) to avoid penalties. Donors can lessen the tax burden of these distributions by making a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) to satisfy part or all your RMD.

Good news! Beginning in 2023, new retirees may start taking their required minimum distribution at an older age allowing you to grow your retirement assets. Individuals born between 1951 and 1959 will need to start their RMDs after age 73. Those born in 1960 or later can delay RMDs until after age 75.

If you are age 70 1/2 and older, you can make a gift to KET with an IRA qualified charitable distribution and receive tax benefits. Talk to your financial advisor about what works best for you.

You may also include KET as a beneficiary of your IRA. Please use the following information:

• Commonwealth Fund for KET
• Tax ID: 61-1285473
• 600 Cooper Drive
• Lexington, KY 40502

For questions, please contact Kacie Miller, kmiller@ket.org.

With stock or securities

Amplify your impact with a gift of appreciated stock and avoid capital gains taxes.

Make a larger gift and take a larger tax deduction! It’s simple to donate stock directly to KET, avoid capital gains taxes and take a deduction for the full fair-market value of the asset. The same benefits apply to donated bonds or mutual funds.

To make your charitable gift of long-term, publicly-traded stock to KET, please alert Kacie Miller kmiller@ket.org or 859-258-7206 and send the following information to your advisor to make the transfer:

• Commonwealth Fund for Kentucky
• Account #375-108652-536 DTC#0015
• Christy Brown (859) 231-9576
• Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
• 444 E. Main St., Suite 111 | Lexington, KY 40507

With expanded tax and income benefits

There are many different ways to accomplish your philanthropic and financial goals. Many donors are looking for options to diversify income and support their favorite charities in the future. Options might include a charitable gift annuity, charitable remainder trust or charitable remainder unitrust. Talk to your financial advisor about what works best to accomplish your goals.

Many KET donors also enjoy giving through Donor-Advised Funds. These funds are easy to set up and allow donors to maximize tax benefits immediately and make annual contributions to their favorite causes. Starting a family foundation might also be a great way to preserve your family tradition of giving through the generations and allow future generations to continue this legacy. Consider working with your attorney and financial advisor to decide the best option for you and your family.

For questions, please contact Kacie Miller kmiller@ket.org.

The joy of giving back

Tim Tassie, a long-time KET employee, was raised in a Louisville family with a history of financially supporting local and statewide organizations. Tassie and his wife Carolyn continued the tradition, making a point in their estate planning to include financial gifts for organizations they believed in, one of which was KET.

I’m here to tell you that the things KET does change people’s lives.

Tim Tassie

But in 2019, after Carolyn died from an unexpected bout with cancer, Tassie said he was moved to do something immediately, both to honor the memory of his wife and to experience the joy of giving while he was around to witness its impact.

“I thought, why wait until I die to make these gifts?” Tassie said. “I saw organizations that had needs and I decided, let’s start the giving now.”