A charitable remainder trust is an arrangement  where assets - usually cash, securities or real property - are irrevocably transferred to a trustee, removing these assets from your estate.  A charitable remainder trust can be created and funded during your lifetime or can be a testamentary trust  - a trust that is created in your will. 

The Institute may serve as trustee or you may select a trustee of your choice.  The beneficiaries of the trust will receive a stream of income for the duration of the trust while the grantor - the creator of the trust - will receive a charitable income tax deduction in the year the trust was funded. A minimum of $100,000 is needed to establish a charitable remainder trust managed by the Institute.

There are two types of Charitable Remainder Trusts:

A Charitable Remainder Unitrust pays a predetermined percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets (but not less than 5%) as revalued annually.  Unitrusts may offer important protection against inflation.  As the assets in the trust increase in value, so does your income.  Additional contributions may be added to a unitrust.

A Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust pays a fixed dollar amount for the life of the trust regardless of the trust's market value.  The dollar amount is determined by calculating a percentage (not less than 5%) of the trust's assets at the time the trust is funded.  Although no additional contributions may be made to an annuity trust, you may establish more than one trust.

For an illustration of how a Charitable Remainder Trust might work for you, please use our Planned Giving Calculator. Select charitable remainder annuity trust or charitable remainder unitrust when indicating "gift type."  Under "term type" indicate either the birth date(s) of the income beneficiary(ies) or the number of years (up to20) you wish the trust to last.


For more information on Charitable Remainder Trusts please contact:

Peggy Jackson
Planned Giving Officer
Institute for Advanced Study
Einstein Drive
Princeton, NJ 08540
Telephone: 609.951.4612
email: