Wills and Bequests – leave a bequest and donate to charity in your Will

A bequest is any gift or donation made in your Will. You can make a bequest to charities, companies, associations, or individuals. Often bequests to ACRF are made by people who have lost loved ones to cancer, or suffered from cancer themselves. Some of ACRF’s largest research grants have been made possible by a bequest to cancer research.

Professor Ian Frazer recently said “Every dollar you donate to cancer research is a dollar invested in your children’s future health”. Click here to see the full interview.

Talk to our Planned Giving Coordinator

How to leave a bequest in your Will

Bequests are incredibly generous gifts to charity, making a very significant difference to the number of research grants ACRF is able to award each year. All information received by ACRF is treated in the strictest confidence and we will respect your wishes if you choose to remain anonymous.

If you wish to donate to our charity in your Will, please find an example of our Will Wording below. Please note this should only be used as a guide – the exact Will Wording will depend on the type of bequest you wish to make:

Wording for your Will

“I give, devise and bequeath to the Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACN 002 774 727) of Suite 409, 412 George St, SYDNEY for its general purposes, free from all taxes and duties, (here please specifiy your gift, eg. the sum of $X). I direct that the receipt of any director or other proper officer for the time being of that Foundation will be a sufficient discharge to my Trustees.”

We recommend that if you wish to make a bequest to charity, you discuss it with your solicitor or the Office of the Public Trustee in your State, who can assist with the preparation of your Will.

You may have a preference for the way your bequest to ACRF will be used. You might wish for example to make a gift in memory of a particular person or you may want ACRF to use your donation to fund a particular type of research. We recommend discussing your ideas with us, so we can help you find practical ways to achieve your wishes.

If you do wish to tell us of your intention to make a bequest to charity, we would love to thank and acknowledge you, as well as keep you informed on the progress of cancer research.

Get advice on leaving a Bequest in your Will

Types of bequests you can make

Making a bequest may be as simple as adding a Codicil to your existing Will, but please seek the advice of your solicitor before doing so. Full capital gains tax relief may be available to your estate for bequests made to certain charities, including the ACRF.

A bequest to the ACRF may be:

A specific sum of money or nominated asset such as a house or other land, shares and other investments, life insurance, works of art or other valuables.
A bequest of your entire estate, or a specified share, or percentage of your entire estate (after all debts and expenses have been paid).
A residual bequest, or a specified share or percentage of your residuary estate, after all debts and expenses have been paid, and other gifts distributed.
Your property, (such as a house) can pass to ACRF after having been used or occupied by a primary beneficiary during their lifetime. ACRF would receive this only after a specified period or after the nominated person has passed.
You can also make a gift to ACRF during your lifetime. This enables us to:

Channel the funds into worthy research projects immediately, and

Celebrate with you, in acknowledging the wonderful contribution you have made to cancer research.