Flora exhibition opening night, Cruthers Collection of Women’s Art. 

Leave a legacy

Sheila Foundation is grateful to our donors who, through their Will, generously choose to support Australian women artists.

Bequests

A bequest will allow you to make a significant and lasting contribution to Australian women artists, past and present. It will mean your legacy will continue to create impact long after your passing and make a real difference to ensuring equity in our art community. There is no minimum gift required to become a Sheila Foundation bequestor – any gift will help us to continue our mission.

  • Bequests can be highly confidential personal matters and often only discussed with family. We would love to know if you intend to make a bequest and to acknowledge you for that, but understand if you would prefer not to make your intentions known to us.
  • You have the right to change your mind about a gift in your Will, at any time.
  • You will have thought through how you would like to give in great detail and we will ensure your gift is used for the purpose it is intended and treated with the upmost respect and proper due diligence.

Types of Bequests

Bequests can take in the form of:

  • A monetary or specific bequest
  • A residual bequest (a gift of all or part of the value of your estate after you have provided for your family, and other liabilities have been met), or
  • A proportional bequest (a specific percentage of your estate).

You can also include works of art in your bequest, however, Sheila Foundation can only accept works of art in line with our acquisitions policy. Our Board can discuss the Foundation’s collecting policies with you further.

Contact Us

If you would like to discuss the possibility of leaving a bequest, or if you have already chosen to leave a bequest to Sheila Foundation, you can contact Director Catherine McMahon to discuss this further. Please know that all conversations will remain highly confidential.

Tel: 0416 033 023 / Email: cath-mcmahon@bigpond.com

Preparing your Bequest

Wording for your will

When drawing up or making changes to your Will, it is always best to consult a solicitor to ensure that your intentions are properly recorded and your wishes are carried out. Some wording that may help you and your solicitor could include:


Gift of art: ‘I give my (clearly describe the work of art) to Sheila Foundation.’

Gift of cash or a proportion of your estate: ‘I give (proportion of estate or dollar amount or the residue of my estate) Sheila foundation Ltd for its use and benefit absolutely.’

Or

‘I give (proportion of estate or dollar amount or the residue of my estate) to Sheila Foundation Ltd for the purpose of ( examples- acquiring works of art, programs that support contemporary women artists, research in to women artists to enrich the history of Australian art.)’

Intention of the Gift

It is Sheila Foundation’s preference that any gift in your will is untied, in that Sheila Foundation’s Board can use it to support any of our programs, according to need. In the time it takes for your gift to come to us, our programs and priorities may have changed and we want to ensure that your gift is used in the most effective and impactful way. However, if you would like to leave your bequest to a specific program or area of our work, we suggest you speak to us to ensure that we will be able to carry out your wishes.

Donations in Memory or Named Donations

You may choose for their giving to be in the memory of someone special, for example a family member or close friend or mentor. This allows their name and legacy to continue on for many years to come. There are many ways of doing this including a straight donation or encouraging donations in lieu of flowers at the funeral.

If you would like to make a bequest in a loved one’s name or give a gift in memory of a loved one, please get in touch with us, so we can work together to decide how this could best be achieved.

Confidentiality

Sheila Foundation respects those who wish to remain anonymous in their giving and bequests. Please let us know if you would like your gift to be confidential and anonymous.

Recognition of your bequest

If you do choose to leave a bequest to support Australian women artists through Sheila Foundation, we would like to recognise your generosity in a way that suits you, including;

 

  • Inviting you to become one of our Bequest Circle Members, receiving dedicated communications and event invitations.
  • Formally acknowledging you on our website and in annual reports.

The Bequest Circle acknowledges and honours the important role that bequest donors play in securing Sheila Foundation’s ongoing stability and success. It also allows you to meet with other Sheila Foundation donors and become part of our growing community.

 

To become a member of the Bequest Circle you simply need to let us know that you have included Sheila Foundation in your Will, either via email, letter, phone or in person.

Information for Solicitors and Executors

If you are a solicitor or executor of a Will with a bequest left to Sheila Foundation, please feel free to get in touch with us anytime to discuss wording, programs or any other details you may require. We would also welcome the chance to include you in our events and updates.

 

Tax

Sheila Foundation strongly urges all donors to speak to a tax professional about all tax matters, before making any donations or bequests, to ensure your wishes can be carried out.

Information for Solicitors and Executors

If you are a solicitor or executor of a Will with a bequest left to Sheila Foundation, please feel free to get in touch with us anytime to discuss wording, programs or any other details you may require. We would also welcome the chance to include you in our events and updates.