Planned Giving

Your values have shaped the world you live in. By including the Ecology Center in your will or estate plans, you can ensure those values continue to protect people, communities, and the planet for generations to come.

A planned gift is a powerful way to leave a legacy of climate action, food justice, and environmental stewardship, one that reflects your commitment to a healthier, more just future. Whether you’ve supported the Ecology Center for decades or more recently, your legacy gift helps ensure that future generations inherit thriving communities, resilient local food systems, and a livable climate.

As part of our Legacy Circle, you join a community of supporters who have chosen to make a gift that continues their impact beyond their lifetime.

Planned gifts provide lasting, flexible support that allows the Ecology Center to respond to evolving challenges and opportunities. 

Your gift may help:

• Keep farmers’ markets thriving as centers of community health and safety while strengthening resilient, sustainable food systems.
• Expand food access through advocacy efforts to ensure Market Match and nutrition incentives continue in perpetuity.
• Advance climate-forward, zero-waste policy solutions that create lasting systems change, protecting people and the planet.
• Support education, advocacy, and community-led environmental action through workshops, classes, and community-based events.
• Empower the next generation of environmental leaders through our youth development program, equipping frontline BIPOC youth with the skills and knowledge to drive change in their communities.
  

Because legacy gifts are often unrestricted, they provide the resilience needed to meet future needs and act boldly for people and planet.

A bequest allows you to leave a gift to the Ecology Center through your will or living trust. You may designate a specific amount, a percentage of your estate, or particular assets.

Benefits of a Bequest:

• It costs nothing now
• You retain full control and use of your assets during your lifetime
• You may modify your bequest if your circumstances change
• Gifts to nonprofits are exempt from federal estate taxes

A charitable bequest allows you to support our mission while potentially reducing your federal estate tax liability, ensuring your assets go where they are needed most.

A note on giving from Your IRA:
If you are 70½ or older, you may make a tax-free Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) directly from your IRA to the Ecology Center. This can satisfy your required minimum distribution while supporting our work. Contact your IRA custodian to request a QCD.

You may share the following language with your attorney:

Gift of a specific dollar amount for unrestricted use

“I hereby give, devise, and bequeath [amount] to the Ecology Center located at 2530 San Pablo Ave. Suite H. Berkeley, CA 94702, Federal Tax ID #94-1703351, for the Ecology Center’s general use and purpose.”

Gift of a percentage of the donor’s estate

“I hereby give, devise, and bequeath [amount] percent (X%), determined as of the date of my death, to the Ecology Center located at 2530 San Pablo Ave. Suite H. Berkeley, CA 94702, Federal Tax ID #94-1703351, for the Ecology Center’s general use and purpose.”

Gift of real estate

“I hereby give, devise, and bequeath all of the right, title, and interest in and to the real estate located [address or description of property] to the Ecology Center located at 2530 San Pablo Ave. Suite H. Berkeley, CA 94702, Federal Tax ID #94-1703351, for the Ecology Center’s general use and purpose.”