Planned Giving
The Parks Legacy Circle honors people who have made an investment in our city’s parks and public spaces, by establishing a future gift through their will, trust, or other planned giving. Join the Parks Legacy Circle today.
As a third generation Seattleite, frequent park walker, and active volunteer with Volunteer Park Trust, at Olmsted’s “crown jewel”, I joined the Parks Legacy Circle to preserve and enhance Seattle’s parks and green space knowing how crucial they are to all current and future residents!
Janice Sears
Parks Legacy Circle Member
Seattle’s beauty and our joy in living here are thanks in large part to her parks. We cherish our proximity to magnificent natural spaces and the community they create. In our volunteer work, we have experienced first hand for decades how the Seattle Parks Foundation and its wonderful staff offer Seattle’s community members the opportunity, the reach and the skills to support our parks. Our hope is that our community’s children and future generations will care for our parks and share our joy, and we know SPF will nourish those aspirations.
Patricia Killam and Richard Wenger
Parks Legacy Circle Members
Our parks and public spaces are the soul of our great city, and preserving this legacy is even more important as we grow. As the godfather to four boys, a dog owner, and frequent visitor of our parks, I joined the Parks Legacy Circle to protect and enhance this vital connection to nature in our city.
Roger Nyhus
President & CEO of Nyhus Communications and Capitol Hill resident
Parks have always been near and dear to my heart, and I want future generations to be able to connect with neighbors and with family and friends in our unique public places.
Karen Daubert
Parks Legacy Circle Member
We believe parks are essential to cities. As urban dwellers, we consider parks our backyard and our front porch. They provide a place for community connection, recreation, and calm, and they regularly remind us how beautiful and diverse a place Seattle is. We joined the Parks Legacy Circle because we want to make sure that Seattle can care for and add to its terrific park spaces as it continues to grow.
Allegra Calder and Gabe Grant
Parks Legacy Circle Members
Become a member of the Parks Legacy Circle
Legacy gifts allow Seattle Parks Foundation to thoughtfully plan for the future of our organization, while providing support and fiscal services to community-based groups that are spearheading public space projects across the city. Your planned gift will leave a legacy in Seattle’s parks for years to come.
Our Funds
Seattle Parks Foundation supports networks of community, philanthropic, and public-sector partners to create and sustain a thriving system of public spaces throughout the city. It also advocates for public policies and investments that improve the health and happiness of all Seattle residents.
Operating
Your unrestricted legacy gift helps us further this mission and vision for our city and provides us with the flexibility to allocate your gift where it is most needed.
Partner Designations
You may choose to make a restricted designation in support of one of our community partners. Note that only some of our partners are set up to exist in perpetuity, while others are fundraising to support a specific project, which has a specific timeline and conclusion date. We will discuss the designation with you upon receipt of your legacy intention form. In circumstances when honoring your designation is not possible, Seattle Parks Foundation may use your gift for other Foundation charitable purposes. Efforts will be made to apply the funds to similar projects to best serve donor intent.
Community Parks Fund
The Community Parks Fund is a vehicle for legacy gifts that support community-led and civic partnerships that increase access for all residents to great public spaces across Seattle. The fund also makes investments to encourage private-sector philanthropy and public funding of parks projects.
The Community Parks Fund was established in 2013 by a generous bequest from Stim Bullitt. Since that time, close to $2 million from the fund has been distributed to more than 30 community-led planning, capital, stewardship, and park activation initiatives. Past investments include:
Cheasty Trails
An innovative forest restoration project is adding a bike and pedestrian trail system to a previously inaccessible 44-acre parkland on Beacon Hill above the Rainier Vista neighborhood.
Seward Park Torii
Rebuilding a beloved icon of international friendship given to the City of Seattle by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in 1934 to honor Seattle’s role as a gateway to Asia.
Concord International Elementary School
Enhancing safe access to school for students in the South Park neighborhood and creating schoolyard raingardens and butterfly gardens.
Georgetown Vision Plan
Supporting community led planning for a system of green, connected public spaces throughout this heavily industrialized neighborhood.
Urban Parks Activation Partnership
A groundbreaking partnership between the Downtown Seattle Association, Alliance for Pioneer Square, Friends of Waterfront Seattle and Seattle Parks and Recreation to transform and activate downtown parks so they are safe, beautiful, and welcoming spaces for all residents.
Tiny Trees Preschool
Startup capital for preschool classrooms in parks throughout the city with deep commitment to accessibility and affordability for all Seattle families.
Notify Us of Your Legacy Intention
To notify Seattle Parks Foundation of your intention to leave a legacy, please complete the following form.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Gift through a will or living trust
- Beneficiary designation on a variety of assets, including IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, qualified retirement plans, life insurance, brokerage accounts, bank accounts (checking or savings), and real estate
- Life income arrangement [charitable remainder trust]
- Charitable lead trust
- Remainder interest in your home
- Other planned gift arrangements
- Specific bequest. A gift of a specific asset such as real estate, a car or other property or a gift for a specific dollar amount. For example, you may wish to leave your home or $10,000 to Seattle Parks Foundation.
- Percentage bequest. Leaving a specific percentage of your overall estate. For example, you may wish to leave 10% of your estate to Seattle Parks Foundation.
- Residual bequest. A bequest made from the balance of an estate after all specific bequests have been fulfilled. For example, you may wish to leave 30% of the residue of your estate to Seattle Parks Foundation.
- Contingent bequest. A bequest made only if a primary bequest cannot be fulfilled. For example, you might choose to leave a vacation home to a relative, but specify that if the relative is not alive at the time of your death, the vacation home will go to Seattle Parks Foundation.
Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor about including Seattle Parks Foundation in your will or estate plan. It can be as simple as including specific language in your will.
Our Legal Name and Federal Tax ID
Legal Name: Seattle Parks Foundation
Address: PO BOX 3541, Seattle, WA 98124-3541
Federal Tax ID Number: 91-1998597
Sample Bequest Language
To make a bequest to Seattle Parks Foundation, consult your legal advisor about including it in your estate plan. The following basic bequest language can assist you and your legal advisor. You can name a specific dollar amount or a piece of property, such as a home or securities.
Suggested wording:
I give to Seattle Parks Foundation, a nonprofit organization located at PO Box 3541 Seattle, WA 98124-3541, Federal Tax ID #91-1998597, the sum of $_______. Or, you can leave a residual gift to us — a percentage of what’s left of your estate after you take care of your loved ones.
Suggested wording:
I give to Seattle Parks Foundation, a nonprofit organization located at PO Box 3541 Seattle, WA 98124-3541, Federal Tax ID #91-1998597, ____ per cent of the residue of my estate.
Let us know! Email us at donations@seattleparksfoundation.org. Understanding the planned gifts that are established for Seattle Parks Foundation helps us plan for the future.
Thank you for considering such a visionary gift! We invite you and your professional advisors to contact us. We can provide more information, answer any questions you may have, and provide consultation to ensure your planned gift arrangement is right for you. All inquiries are held in the strictest confidence and there is no obligation.
Our Parks Legacy Circle Members
Recognizing extraordinary donors whose estate plans include legacy gifts to Seattle Parks Foundation.
Anonymous (8)
Sally Bagshaw
Thatcher Bailey
Ross Baker
Jane Ballard
Lynn Bursten
Sharon and Ken Coleman Fund
Allegra Calder and Gabriel Grant
Barbara and James Crutcher
Karen Daubert
Ann Fagan
Barbara Feasey
Brian Giddens and Steve Rovig
Don Goldberg and Gail Resnik
Roy Hamrick
Nancy Horiuchi
David James
Patricia Killam and Richard Wenger
Thomas Mathers
Pamela McCabe
Roger Nyhus
Mike and Edith Ruby
Janice Sears
Jean and Pierre Sundborg
Chris and David Towne
Catherine Walker
Pamela Weeks
Tom and Lyn White
The Estate of:
Anonymous (1)
Barbara Bailey
William M. Black
Marjorie Boetter
Lloyd Douglas
Julie Gerrard
Gretchen Hull
Betty Jane Kreager
Phyllis Lamphere
Larry Rand
Disclaimer
The information provided is not a substitute for professional financial or legal advice. Consult your financial or legal advisor to determine which options are best for you and your family, and to maximize the tax advantages of your gift.