Your Legacy

Remembering the Marine Biological Association with a gift in your Will is a very meaningful act of kindness and an extraordinary way to celebrate your life. The impact of which may be felt by many, yet it is a profoundly personal statement, a lasting expression of your values and commitment to understanding our ocean. When pledging a legacy gift to us, you and your loved ones can take comfort in knowing that your priorities will be looked after by people who understand and share your values.

Legacy gifts cost nothing in your lifetime but are a vital source of financial support for us. Whatever the size, all are valued and celebrated because the moment you pledge a legacy gift, large or small, you are making a difference to the future of the Marine Biological Association, science, education, and the future of our ocean.

We were founded on generosity and have been privileged to have benefited from individuals’ philanthropy throughout our 140-year history. In fact, we would not exist without the remarkable gifts we have received and continue to receive. Your gift is an investment in our futures; it honours your place in Marine Biological Association history and will undoubtedly inspire future generations.

Gifts in Wills take various forms, and all could benefit our cutting-edge work. The two most common types are:

Residuary bequest: The remainder of your estate, or a percentage of the amount left after gifts, taxes, etc., have been settled.

Pecuniary or fixed-sum bequest: An amount of money decided upon when the Will is written. This sum can be protected from inflation by expressing the wish to index link the amount to the rate of inflation.

Suggested Wording

We always recommend that you take professional legal advice when drafting, updating or adding a codicil to your Will. The suggested wording below is intended to help you when you visit your solicitor in order to make or update your Will.

We suggest wording along the following lines:

I give {Insert either: “the whole” or “{insert value} percent” of my estate not otherwise disposed of by this Will or “£{insert specified amount}”} to the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom (registered charity 1155893 and registered address: The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth PL1 2PB) to be applied as an unrestricted legacy and for the general purposes of of the Marine Biological Association. I declare that a receipt signed by a Director or other authorised officer shall be good and sufficient discharge for my Executors.

Unrestricted bequests for our general purposes are particularly welcome as they can be directed towards our areas of greatest need. This widens the area in which your gift can be directed, maximising its impact. However, we recognise that you may prefer to direct your bequests towards a specific area of our work. In these instances, we politely request that you permit a proportionate contribution to our running costs as this helps safeguard our world-class facilities vital for our continued focus on priorities important to you. Your solicitors can advise you further in this regard and you are very welcome to contact us if you wish to discuss any specific requests.

To understand more about our priorities, please click here.

As a charity, making a gift in your Will for the MBA is tax-free. However, it can also help reduce inheritance tax on your entire estate.

There is usually no inheritance tax to pay if the value of your estate is below the £325,000 threshold, or you leave everything above the £325,000 threshold to a charity.

The standard inheritance tax rate is 40% which is applied to the part of your estate above the £325,000 threshold. However, if you were to leave 10% or more of the net value of your estate to charity, the inheritance tax rate for the remaining sum above the threshold is reduced to 36%, leaving more funds for your beneficiaries. However, we recommend that you seek professional legal advice to understand the tax implications of your estate planning.

The Inheritance Tax rules change from time to time and up to date information on Inheritance Tax can be found on the UK government website.

As your Will is a very personal matter, if you are interested in leaving a gift to the Marine Biological Association of any kind, we invite you to discuss your plans with us in confidence so that we can ensure your wishes are understood and can be fulfilled. Telling us about your plans to leave a gift in your Will, will help us ensure your wishes are met later on. If you have already remembered us in your Will, we would also love to hear from you so we can thank you for your special gift, invite you to events, keep you informed about our work and the work gifts like yours are enabling.

Can we help?

If you have an enquiry about any aspect of the Marine Biological Association, please drop us a line below.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Your Legacy

Be Transformational with a legacy

Urgent
priorities

Our
Promise

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us

Can we help?

Links

Resources

GET INVOLVED

Follow us

Your Legacy

Be Transformational with a legacy

Urgent priorities

Our Promise

Talk to us

Can we help?

Links

Resources

GET INVOLVED

Follow us

Urgent
priorities

Our
Promise

Talk to
us