Your Bequest: Enduring Support Beyond Your Lifetime

Thank you for considering a bequest to The Australian National University. Please contact us if you include ANU in your will as we would like to acknowledge your contribution during your lifetime.

Making a will ensures that your lifetime’s wealth is passed on to people that you love, causes you support, and interests that you have enjoyed.

Making provision in your will for ANU is a very special gift which will benefit many generations of students, teaching staff and researchers. It will contribute to social advancements that will serve present and future generations. 

Your gift may help in many ways. Previous benefactors have provided support for:

• application of science to industry
• scholarships for piano composition and accompaniment
• agricultural economics chairs
• research in linguistics
• indigenous student programs
• medical research into cancer and other diseases.

A bequest may involve:

• monetary gifts
• a percentage of an estate
• assets – property, work of art, shares, an insurance policy
• residuary of an estate – what is left after other gifts and costs have been deducted
• academic papers and collections.

A bequest to ANU is an opportunity to associate your name with the University and its many activities and achievements. The benefit may also be established in perpetuity.

Wording your bequest                           

Making a will is a very important step and should be done with advice from appropriate professionals such as solicitors or financial advisers. 

We are happy to help you, or your advisors, to make your bequest or develop terms to include in your will. We also have established avenues for donors in the UK and USA to support ANU.

All discussions are confidential.

Please use the following guidelines in consultation with your advisers. The Australian National University ABN number is 52234 063 906. 

Suggested wording for an unrestricted bequest to ANU

Significant needs of the university may vary from decade to decade. A simple form of bequest would give to priorities as determined by the Vice-Chancellor. These might include support for scholarships, or other research interests. By simply nominating that your bequest goes to support ANU you provide an unrestricted bequest allowing the university flexibility. In this case the form of words might include:

I give to The Australian National University [specify the sum or proportion of the estate] and I request the receipt of The Australian National University be accepted as sufficient discharge for the same.

Suggested wording for a bequest to a particular field of study at ANU

If your bequest is to a particular area or field of study at ANU, we would suggest the following wording:

I am making a bequest to the university in view of my lifelong love of or interest in [specify area e.g. music, medical research] in the hope that my bequest will support students in the proficiency and enjoyment of study.

I give (specify amount or proportion of estate, or nature of asset or gift) to The Australian National University in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. I request the University to apply this bequest for the purposes of support for scholarships for students and/or research into [specify area]. If the University considers that my intentions are best fulfilled in another or additional ways, then I express the wish that my bequest be applied in any allied field of study or such other purposes as in the University’s view most closely matches my expressed intentions.

If you would like to support two areas of the university’s activities, e.g. arts and medical research, then in addition to the above paragraph it would be appropriate to include the following:

I also give (specify amount or proportion of estate, or nature of asset or gift) to The Australian National University in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. I request the University to apply this bequest for the purposes of supporting ... [specify second area of interest], including for scholarships. If the University considers that my intentions are best fulfilled in another or additional ways, then I express the wish that my bequest be applied in any allied field of study or such other purposes as in the University’s view most closely matches my expressed intentions.

Naming a bequest fund

Significant donations provide for the gift to be named. In that case your will should state:

It is my wish that the fund [or scholarship or prize] be called the (specify the name).

We also understand and respect any wishes for anonymity.