Ways of Giving

The Lobster Institute’s endowed funds are established within the University of Maine Foundation, which manages and invests the funds as a permanent endowment for the benefit of the Lobster Institute.

You can make a gift online through the Foundation in support of the Lobster Institute’s C.O.R.E. Campaign. Or, someone from the Lobster Institute and/or the University of Maine Foundation will be happy to talk with you about the following ways of making a gift.

Cash Gifts

A simple way to contribute to the Lobster Institute’s C.O.R.E. Campaign is a gift of cash. Cash gifts can be paid by check or money order – either as a one-time payment or in installments over two to five years. Cash gifts are a priority for our campaign as they provide an immediate source of revenue for the Lobster Institute’s programs and services.
Cash gifts, U.S. or Canadian, are tax-deductible.

Non-Cash Gifts

  • Appreciated Securities – when you make a gift of long-term appreciated securities, you avoid tax on the capital gains and you receive an income tax deduction equal to the fair market value of your securities.
  • Real and Personal Property – A residence or other real property may be given as an outright gift, or you may prefer to give your house to the Institute but retain the right to occupy the property for your lifetime. Personal property such as boats, works of art, antiques or rare books make excellent gifts.
  • Income Producing Gifts – Charitable annuities, pooled life income plans and charitable trusts are ways of giving that provide donors or a designated beneficiary with a fixed or variable income over time. Many people use these income-producing gifts to achieve both their charitable and their personal financial goals. Representatives of the University of Maine Foundation will be happy to meet with you and/or your financial advisor to discuss these options.
  • Wills and Bequests – A provision for the Lobster Institute in your will allows you to make a substantial contribution without diminishing the assets available to you during your lifetime. Since charitable bequests to the C.O.R.E. Campaign are deductible from your taxable estate, significant tax savings are possible.
  • Charitable Remainder Trust – You can use an irrevocable trust to provide yourself or a loved one with a fixed annual income or an income that varies with the value of the trust. Part of the trust qualifies for an income tax deduction.
  • At the death of the last income beneficiary, the assets of the trust are distributed to the Lobster Institute.
  • Life Insurance – When you give a life insurance policy to the C.O.R.E. Campaign, the present cash surrender value of the policy is deductible as a charitable contribution. If you continue to pay premiums after your gift, they are also deductible.

For further information on ways of giving to the Lobster Institute, please contact the
Lobster Institute at 207-581-2751 or the University of Maine Foundation at 1-800-982-8503 or 207-947-5100.

During the Lobster Institute’s C.O.R.E. Campaign, Friends of the Lobster Institute will be asked to continue their
annual support of the Institute while making an additional investment in the C.O.R.E. Campaign. Thank You for providing funding for today as well as for the future of the Lobster Institute.