Beneficiary Designations

Make a Gift in a Few Easy Steps

Not everyone wants to commit to making a gift in their wills or estates. Some prefer the increased flexibility that a beneficiary designation provides by using:

IRAs and retirement plans
Life insurance policies
Donor advised funds
Commercial annuities
Bank accounts
Certificates of deposits (CDs)
Stock or mutual fund accounts
Payable on death (POD) or transfer on death (TOD) accounts

It is very simple to name the University of Washington as a beneficiary. Start by requesting a change-of-beneficiary form from your policy administrator or download the form from your provider's website. Make your desired changes and return the form to establish your gift.

Another option: Name one or more loved ones as primary beneficiary and name the UW as contingent, or secondary, beneficiary. With this arrangement, if your loved ones survive you, they would receive the asset. If not, the account or policy would be paid out to us to support future Huskies.

See How It Works

An Example of How It Works

Couples smiling Robert and Carol treasure the financial help they've been able to give their children and the UW over the years. The couple recently updated their will to leave stocks and real estate to their kids. They left the UW a $75,000 IRA to be transferred following their lifetime. Because the UW is tax-exempt, all $75,000 will help support our mission.

If Robert and Carol had left the IRA to their children, approximately $18,000* would have gone to pay federal income taxes—leaving only $57,000 for their family's use. Robert and Carol are happy knowing they are making the most of their hard-earned money thanks to their updated estate plan.

*Based on an assumption of a 24% marginal income tax bracket.

Fund Your Donation With:

Next Steps

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.
Decide what percentage (1 to 100) you would like the University of Washington to receive and name us, along with the percentage you chose, on the beneficiary form. Return the completed form.
Contact Office for Planned Giving at 206-685-1001 or giftinfo@uw.edu to let us know your goals for the gift so we can ensure it is used as you intend.

Legal name: University of Washington
Address: 4333 Brooklyn Ave NE Box 359515, Seattle WA 98195-9515
Federal tax ID number: 91-6001537

Learn More

Download our FREE guide Beneficiary Designations: Easy Ways to Leave Your Legacy.

Free Estate Planning Tool