You can support the work of the Royal Anthropological Institute (registered charity number 246269) and secure its future continuation by leaving us a gift in your will. If you already have a will and wish to add a gift you can do this by making a codicil to your will. We strongly recommend consulting a solicitor to discuss the legally validity of your will. You can find a solicitor on the Law Society website.

It is completely up to you as to how you would like us to acknowledge your gift and how you would like us to use it. Unrestricted gifts can be incredibly useful as they allow us to respond to the most pressing needs of the Institute, which may change over time. You can also specify exactly how your gift should be used. Further information about what your gift could do, and what the gifts of other benefactors have done, is available here.

There are different types of gift you can give.

A residual bequest

This is a gift of the remainder (or proportion of the remainder) of your estate, after all payments, taxes and other bequests have been made. This option allows you to take care of friends and family first and still make a meaningful donation. We suggest the following wording:

"I give ___% / all [please specify] of the residue of my estate to the Trustees of the Royal Anthropological Institute (registered charity number 246269), 50 Fitzroy Street, London, W1T 5BT, to hold on trust for its general charitable purposes [or specific work, please specify]."

A pecuniary bequest

This is a fixed sum of money decided by you. We suggest the following wording:

"I give the sum of ___ to the Trustees of the Trustees of the Royal Anthropological Institute (registered charity number 246269), 50 Fitzroy Street, London, W1T 5BT, to hold on trust for its general charitable purposes [or specific work, please specify]."

A specific bequest

You can also bequeath specific personal possessions such as property or shares. We suggest the following wording:
"I give ___________ [detailed description of specific item] to the Trustees of the Trustees of the Royal Anthropological Institute (registered charity number 246269), 50 Fitzroy Street, London, W1T 5BT, to hold on trust for its general charitable purposes [or specific work, please specify]."

Inheritance Tax

As the Royal Anthropological Institute has charitable status, your gift will be exempt from Inheritance Tax. Tax rules introduced by the government with effect from 6 April 2012 may also mean that if you leave at least 10% of your estate to charity, the Inheritance Tax rate on the rest of your estate may reduce from 40% to 36%. The rules are complex, however, and it is vital that you seek advice from your solicitor or tax advisor on how they may affect you.

Letting the Royal Anthropological Institute know

If you decide to include a gift to the Royal Anthropological Institute in your will, we would be grateful if you could let us know – this will give us the opportunity to thank you and discuss with us how you how your gift will make a difference. Contact can be made in confidence with the Director, Dr David Shankland, on david.shankland@therai.org.uk, +44 (0)20 7387 0455, 50 Fitzroy Street, London, W1T 5BT.