Gifts in your Will

This is your moment. A moment that can change the future.

Many people who share your passion for shaping the performing arts have chosen a special way to celebrate what is so important in their lives. You too can help champion the performing arts in Canada now and in the future by leaving a gift in your Will to the National Arts Centre Foundation.

Your gift can change the future. Find out how

Donor profiles

  • Bob and Marian Cumming ©
    Bob and Marian Cumming
  • Barb Newbegin ©
    Barb Newbegin
  • Jim and Pat Whitehead ©
    Jim and Pat Whitehead
  • Gerry and Rebecca Grace ©
    Gerry and Rebecca Grace
  • Brenda Cardillo ©
    Brenda Cardillo
  • Daryl Banke & Mark Hussey ©
    Daryl Banke & Mark Hussey
view all ›

Creating your legacy for the NAC Foundation in your Will in 3 easy steps:

  • 1 Ask for advice Make sure the decision to give is right for you and discuss your wishes with your family. Ask your financial advisor whether to give a specific amount, a percentage, or the residue of your estate.
  • 2 Talk to your Lawyer Instruct your lawyer to add a clause in your Will or add a codicil to your existing Will that establishes your bequest gift to the NAC Foundation.
  • 3 Share with us If you are comfortable, tell us about your bequest. We would like to thank you, and make sure we understand how you want your gift to be used.

Your investment, our promise

Your Will is a very personal document and we will always respect your privacy.

A gift in your Will supporting the NAC Foundation is a personal statement of the values you embraced during your life. We realize that your family and loved ones come first and that these decisions take time and special consideration. We will handle your gift and your wishes with care, sensitivity and respect. At any time in the future, you have the right to change your mind about a gift to the NAC Foundation in your Will.

Join the Emeritus Circle

The Emeritus Circle honours those who have informed us that they have made a future gift of support or memorializes those from whom the NAC Foundation has received a legacy gift.

The Emeritus Circle ensures that donors, who have made a charitable gift of this kind, are forever recognized as partners in our vision to transform the Canadian performance landscape. In addition, this honorary designation will serve to inspire others to consider their own meaningful legacies in support of the performing arts.

Donors who prefer to remain anonymous are still eligible to receive Emeritus Circle benefits

Wills and future gifts

Making a legacy gift means you designate a gift to the NAC Foundation now, but we receive it in the future.

After first taking steps to ensure your loved ones are cared for, a charitable gift designated through your estate to the NAC can be a truly exceptional way to create a legacy for the performing arts in Canada.

Sample bequest wording

  • Bequests

    Gifts made through your estate will receive a charitable tax credit that can offset any tax owing. A bequest gift may be for a fixed sum, a designated percentage or portion of the residue of your estate. 

  • Life insurance

    Giving a new or existing insurance policy allows everyone, even people of modest means, to make a sizable gift with only a small annual or monthly outlay, and a tax credit is available for immediate tax relief. If structured correctly, this type of gift remains outside of your estate, avoiding probate fees.

  • Named endowments

    An endowment is an investment where the principal amount donated is retained and only the income generated from the gift will be spent on the priorities established by the donor. This allows the gift to provide ongoing and reliable support to NAC programs.

  • Gifts of RRSPs/RRIFs

    When you name the NAC Foundation as a beneficiary of your RRSPs or RRIFs, the asset is transferred to the NAC Foundation, and the estate receives a tax credit to offset the tax on income. Since the asset passes outside the estate, no probate fees are payable, which results in further savings to the estate. 

  • Gifts of shares

    Transferring securities (stocks, bonds, ETFs and mutual funds) directly as a donation to the NAC Foundation will not incur any capital gains tax on the appreciated value. A charitable income tax receipt is issued for the fair market value of the security the day of the transfer. Securities are equally tax-effective when given today or in the future through a bequest. Fill out the form

The performance that changes the life of a person is unique to each of us.

For some it is a personal moment, something that moves us profoundly. For others it is being there to witness someone close to them – a child or grandchild perhaps – experience their own personal moment.

Such performances are transformational. When a person experiences them it can change their future, leaving an imprint that will last forever.

For many supporters of the National Arts Centre it was defining moments such as these that inspired them to create a legacy of support through their estate plan for the future of the NAC. Our donors share their passion by supporting the performing arts so that others can experience their own magical moments.

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