This spring members of the Joseph Lee Heywood Society had a special opportunity to increase the impact of their planned giving through Carleton’s Every Carl for Access Challenge. While giving challenges typically are restricted to outright gifts, this one included two ways planned giving donors could participate.
Starting in January, any life income gift of $50,000 or more and any new documented estate gift of $50,000 or more from a donor over age 70 generated a $50,000 addition to the newly created Every Carl for Carleton Endowed Scholarship. This means donors’ generosity was doubled for twice the impact on the Carleton community.
Funded by Bill Buffett ’55 and Susan Kennedy; Leslie Kautz ’80, P ’15, and Jack Weiss P ’15; Barbara and Wally Weitz ’70, P’ 96, P’ 99, P’ 02; and an anonymous donor, this $7 million challenge intended to raise endowed financial aid funds to support low- and middle-income students. Recognizing the transformational impact a Carleton education provides for first-generation students, $2 million of the challenge encouraged donors to include a preference for assistance for these students.
By the challenge’s completion, 21 Heywood members had documented estate gifts, added to previously documented estate gifts, and created life income gifts. Together their gifts committed $10.8 million to Carleton, resulting in more than $1.1 million in cash going to the Every Carl for Access Scholarship to help talented students with financial need afford a Carleton education.