Charitable Gift Annuities

A gift annuity is a simple, contractual agreement between a donor and the Arizona State University Foundation in which the donor transfers assets to the foundation in exchange for its promise to pay one or two annuitants payments for life.

By donating to the Cronkite School through a gift annuity, you: (1) contract for a fixed payment for yourself or yourself and another individual, if you choose, and (2) make a gift to the Cronkite School.

If you itemize deductions on your tax return, savings from the charitable deduction reduces the net cost of the gift. In addition, for a period of years, based on a government table of life expectancies, a portion of each payment received is considered a nontaxable return of your investment in the gift. This further increases your after-tax dollars available for spending or investing.

With a deferred payment gift annuity, the start of payments is delayed until a specific date, initially determined by the donor. Deferral of payments increases the initial income-tax charitable deduction, tax savings and the annuity rate. However, it also reduces the nontaxable amounts to be received. This option is appealing to younger donors who wish to improve future income, such as at retirement.