Since 1958, the Deafness Research Foundation (DRF) has stood for the unshakable belief that the key to solving the puzzle of deafness is research. Contributions from individuals, private and corporate foundations are crucial sources of support for DRF. Contributions from people like you make it possible for us to support research grants all over the United States every year, publish Hearing Health magazine (and make it available for free) and implement important medical research conferences.
In the last 50 years, DRF has awarded nearly $24 million through more than 2,100 research grants. This seed money has led to dramatic innovations, including the diagnosis and treatment of otitis media, the cochlear implant, implantable hearing aids, break-throughs in molecular biology, surgical therapies for otosclerosis, universal newborn hearing screening and the discovery that inner ear hair cells can be regenerated.
Gift Planning
One of the most meaningful ways you can support DRF and show a lifelong appreciation for hearing health is to make a legacy gift from your estate. Gift planning allows individuals to make philanthropic gifts with estate assets, which helps ensure DRF’s long-term future as well as the future of hearing and balance research.
Your bequest, life insurance policy, charitable remainder trust or other planned giving choice builds DRF’s capacity to fund research and secure a hearing future for millions all over the world. We invite you to consider a significant planned gift to DRF that fits your financial picture. With a planned gift, you make a difference. You make a promise to future generations that research – the key to solving the puzzle of deafness – will be supported to the fullest extent possible. Your gift will live on, leaving a legacy of hearing health for generations to come.
Life Insurance Policies
Often overlooked as a way to generate tax savings and fulfill philanthropic goals are life insurance policies. Many times people have life insurance policies whose benefits are no longer needed. If this applies to your situation, you may wish to consider naming DRF as the beneficiary or assigning ownership to DRF. By naming DRF as the beneficiary of your policy, you retain ownership and still have access to the policy’s cash value. No charitable deduction is allowed during your lifetime; however, your estate will be entitled to an estate tax deduction. If you assign ownership to DRF, you are eligible for an immediate charitable deduction. Not only will you receive a charitable deduction, but also by removing the value of the policy from your estate, you may reduce your estate taxes. As assignments are irrevocable gifts, the right to cash out is lost, nor can you change the beneficiary.
There are many ways to make a tax-advantaged legacy gift to DRF that will benefit generations to come. We hope you will partner with us in making a lifetime of hearing health possible for all. Please call 866.454.3924 to speak with a DRF staff member. Please consult your attorney for advice and details.
