Beneficiary Designations

Make a Gift in a Few Easy Steps

Are you passionate about supporting GW's students and programs, even after your lifetime? It's not only possible, but it's simple with a beneficiary designation. Just name GW as a beneficiary to receive assets such as retirement plans and life insurance policies after you're gone. You simply fill out a form that is entirely separate from your will — which makes this approach an easy way to give.

Not only is it a simple, flexible way to give, but it's also tax-wise — unlike with family members, GW can receive these assets without tax penalties, and so we can welcome you to the GW Heritage Society.

Bequest Information Form

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Why I Named GW Beneficiary of My IRA: Tom Curtis

Donor Tom CurtisAlthough GW has certainly grown since Tom Curtis attended in 1964, he believes the heart of the university remains unchanged: students and faculty who want to make a difference in the world.

This is why Curtis decided to create a charitable bequest to the GW Power & Promise Fund, so that student aid will be available to deserving students. "When I first started at GW, I was on scholarship and I couldn't have attended without it," he says. "Now that I have the means, I want to see GW achieve world-class status and make it possible for students like me to go here."

Curtis's generosity has been influenced by GW in more ways than one. Not only is he inspired by the potential of the university and its students, he also earned a GW degree in economics and accounting that has fostered smart charitable decisions. A financial planner by profession, he took advantage of the tax benefits that accompany an IRA bequest while achieving his philanthropic goals. By making a tax-exempt organization like GW the beneficiary of his IRA, his estate will receive a significant tax deduction and the university will receive 100 percent of the value of the IRA that remains after his lifetime.

Read more about Tom's gift.

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Next Steps

  1. Contact the administrator of your retirement plan, insurance policy, or bank account for a change-of-beneficiary form, or simply download a form from your provider's website. 
  2. Decide what percentage (1 to 100) you would like the George Washington University to receive and name us, along with the percentage you chose, on the beneficiary form. Return the completed form.
  3. Contact Dean Regenovich, JD, LLM at (202) 748-4532 or dean.regenovich@gwu.edu to let us know your goals for the gift so we can ensure it is used as you intend, and so we can welcome you to the GW Heritage Society.

Legal name: the George Washington University
Address: 1922 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20052
Federal tax ID number: 53-0196584