Supporting the ministry of Westminster Theological Seminary

If you are ready to make a contribution, please click here.

If you want to explore ways to contribute, please choose one of these links:

General Fund
Electronic Funds Transfer
By His Grace Monthly Partnership
Planned Giving
Scholarship Fund
Special Funds

Various ways to make a contribution

Westminster Theological Seminary depends on the generous support of individuals, organizations, and churches to enable the seminary to form Christian leaders to proclaim the whole counsel of God throughout a changing world.

1. If you would like to make a contribution on-line, please click here. If your monthly gift is for $25 or more and you would like to join the By His Grace Monthly Partnership, please check the appropriate box on the form.

2. If you would like information on how to make a gift of appreciated securities, please read here. Westminster welcomes gifts of appreciated securities (i.e., stock, mutual funds, land, art, etc.). To make this a convenient method of supporting Westminster, we have established accounts with several brokerage firms.

For specific instructions, please e-mail Erik Davis at wtsfinance@wts.edu or call him on his direct line at 215-572-3806.

Thank you for your interest in supporting Westminster is this way.

3. To mail a contribution or speak to someone on our staff

If you would like to send a contribution, please mail it to:

Westminster Theological Seminary, Institutional Advancement PO Box 27009, Philadelphia, PA 19118 To Speak with someone on our staff, please call David B. Garner at 215-572-3839 or 1-800-373-0119 WTSdonations@wts.edu

General Fund Support

Thank you for your interest in supporting the General Fund for Westminster. This fund is used to cover the day-to-day expenses of running the Seminary, including utilities, supplies, Faculty and staff salaries, general upkeep of the facilities, and a great deal more. Your gift of any amount will help.

You may also want to consider joining our By His Grace Partnership to receive a new CD of Westminster teaching each month. If so, click here for more information.

Go To Top

Electronic Funds Transfer

Your gift can be deducted automatically each month from your checking account. With this method, deductions will continue until you request a stop.

EFT Form.

If your monthly gift is $25 or more and you want to join our By His Grace Partnership, note that on your print-and-mail form.

Go To Top

By His Grace Partnership

One of the best-kept secrets here at Westminster is our media archive. We now have this treasure house of historic and current teaching available on CD as a way to say thank you for your regular, monthly support gift of $25 or more. Our By His Grace Partnership enables you to benefit directly from Westminster teaching while you participate in reaching the next generation with the Word of God.

When you become a By His Grace Partner, you'll receive a monthly CD featuring chapel messages, conference seminars, or other teaching from our faculty, along with Seminary news and prayer requests. Once a year you will also receive a book by one of our faculty members.

To join, simply note your request with your next gift. To have your monthly gift automatically charged to your credit card or deducted from your checking account via Electronic Funds Transfer, please see those options above. Gifts may be sent to:

Westminster Theological Seminary
Institutional Advancement
PO Box 27009
Philadelphia, PA 19118

After listening to each CD, consider passing it on to your pastor, church officers, or friends. It's a great way to introduce them to the mission and teaching of Westminster - and a way for you to help us build support as we train the next generation of ministers of the gospel.

Go To Top

Planned Giving

Westminster has been blessed by gifts from the estates of donors and friends of the Seminary. If you are interested in exploring planned giving options, please read this section of our web site.

In addition, Westminster is a member of the Barnabas Foundation. The foundation was established to help individuals and families discuss estate planning from a Christian perspective. You may contact their office for information on specific concerns. The staff will provide confidential, objective estate planning at no cost to you. To find out more, please call Barnabas Foundation directly at 1-888-488-3040 or go to their website: www.barnabasfoundation.com.

About IRA Charitable Rollovers: On August 17, 2006, President Bush signed into law the Pension Protection Act of 2006. This new law allows tax-free gifts to be made to charities from IRAs. To request a Pension Protection Act of 2006 fact sheet, or with other estate planning questions, call the Barnabas Foundation at 1-888-448-3040.

To receive with no obligation the complimentary booklet "Better Estate Planning," contact David B. Garner at 215-572-3839 (or 800-373-0119).

For your convenience, we've listed below a number of planned giving instruments with sample dollar amounts.

Charitable Giving Options, Examples (using a dollar amount), and Benefits

Charitable Remainder Trust (during lifetime) CRT: Donor establishes trust and transfers stock worth $100,000 to trust, retaining five percent per year income stream for life of donor (and/or other beneficiary), trust assets pass to charitable organization. Benefits: Donor (and/or another beneficiary) receives income stream; if transferred stock was low yielding, income stream may exceed the amount of dividend income that donor had been receiving (either immediately or after retirement); avoidance of potential capital gains tax; donor could retain control over trust investments as trustee or, if donor would prefer, someone else could be the trustee and relieve the donor of investment responsibilities; income tax deduction calculated on actuarial basis; with certain kinds of trusts (unitrusts), donor can make additional contributions to the trust.

Charitable Remainder Trust (by will) TCRT: Donor includes trust provision in will directing that $100,000 be placed in trust for benefit of spouse during spouse's lifetime; Upon spouse's death, trust assets pass to charitable organization. Benefits: Estate tax marital deduction for spouse's income interest and estate tax charitable deduction for value of remainder interest; provides income stream for spouse for life, donor can select experienced trustee to manage the investments for benefit of spouse.

Gift Annuity (immediate) CGA: Donor transfers appreciated stock to charitable organization in exchange for organization's agreement to pay a specified annuity to the donor (and/or another beneficiary). Benefits: Donor (and/or another beneficiary) receives income stream; a portion of each annuity payment will be free from income tax; capital gains tax reduced and spread out; income tax deduction calculated on an actuarial basis.

Gift Annuity (deferred) DCGA: Donor transfers appreciated stock to charitable organization in exchange for organization's agreement to pay a specified annuity to the donor (and/or another beneficiary) in the future (e.g., after retirement). Benefits: All of the same benefits as with an immediate annuity (above), with the added benefit of supplemental retirement income on a tax-favored basis.

Remainder Interest in Residence or Farm RLE: Donor transfers residence to charitable organization but retains the right to live in home for life. Benefits: Income tax deduction equal to the value of charitable organization's remainder interest calculated on an actuarial basis; right to live in home for life.

Life Insurance (charitable organization as beneficiary): Donor names charitable organization as beneficiary of life insurance policy. Benefits: Donor retains ownership of policy and has access to its cash value; no federal estate tax on life insurance proceeds will be due upon donor's death because of charitable deduction.

Life Insurance (charitable organization as owner): Donor irrevocably assigns life insurance policy to charitable organization; each year donor contributes annual premium amount to organization to allow it to pay subsequent premiums. Benefits: Income tax deductions for lesser of policy's value or net premiums paid; income tax deduction for subsequent contributions.

Life Insurance (wealth replacement): Donor has transferred property to charitable organization and uses tax savings produced by the income tax deduction to pay premiums on life insurance policy, the proceeds of which will be roughly equivalent to the value of the gifted property. Benefits: Provides funds to family beneficiaries in compensation for the property contributed to charitable organizations.

Outright Bequest (by will): Donor includes outright bequest of $100,000 to charitable organization in will or a bequest of a percentage of the estate. Benefits: Estate tax deduction for full amount of the bequest.

Charitable Lead Trust (during lifetime) CLT: Donor establishes trust, transfers stock worth $100,000 to trust, and directs that trust is to pay charitable organization $8,000 annually for 15 years; at termination of trust, assets to be distributed to donor's children. Benefits: Allows property to be transferred eventually to family beneficiaries at a low transfer tax cost.

Charitable Lead Trust (by will) TCLT: Donor includes trust provision in will directing the transfer of $100,000 to trust and annual payment of $8,000 to charitable organization for 15 years; at termination of trust, assets to be distributed to donor's children. Benefits: Allows property to be transferred eventually to family beneficiaries at lower transfer tax cost.

Westminster has worked with several planned giving consultants, two of which are listed here:

Barnabas Foundation, 15127 S. 73rd Ave., Orland Park, IL 60462, 708-532-3444

Hanse & Hanse, 2035 Hamburg Tpk., Suite E, Wayne, NJ 07470, 973-831-8700

You may also want to contact your attorney for a referral to a planned giving consultant in your region.

Go To Top

Scholarship Fund Support

Each year many qualified students apply to Westminster who are unable to attend due to lack of scholarship funding. While many of these students are from two-thirds world countries, United States and Canadian applicants also struggle to meet the cost of tuition - often after already incurring debt for their undergraduate or other graduate level education.

Westminster has established several ways to address this growing need.

General Fund (Undesignated Gifts)
Gifts toward the general fund help to reduce tuition by paying for many of the overhead costs of running the Seminary. Faculty salaries, utility bills, cleaning, security, building maintenance, and office support all come under this category. In addition, nearly 20 percent of the $3.5 million general fund is awarded in International, Undercare, General, Presidential, and Spousal Tuition Scholarships each year, including approximately 50 annual full-tuition scholarships for international students.

Scholarship Account (Restricted, spent annually)
Gifts toward tuition scholarships, with no restrictions, and intended to be awarded in full, are aggregated together and awarded annually by the Financial Aid Committee. Gifts of any amount are helpful and can be made on a one-time, annual, or monthly basis. Simply designate the Scholarship Fund when you send your gift.

Scholarship Fund (Restricted, earnings spent annually)
Designated gifts under $10,000 are pooled together in an interest-bearing Scholarship Fund, which is managed by the Finance and Administration Office and reviewed by the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees. Tuition scholarship awards are based on the earnings of the fund and are given annually by the Financial Aid Committee. Individuals, churches, or organizations contributing to this fund may not designate a specific recipient. Gifts of any amount are helpful and can be made on a one-time, annual, or monthly basis. To speak with someone about contributing toward this fund, please contact David B. Garner via at (215-572-3839).

Named Scholarships - Annual
Gifts of $10,000 or more may be named and selection criteria identified by the individual, church, or organization creating the tuition scholarship. Awards are made by the Financial Aid Committee, however a church or organization not requiring a tax deductible receipt, may also set up an application process to award the scholarship to a specific individual. Award recipients may be requested to visit the sponsoring church or organization at the sponsor's expense. Suggested amounts:

• $10,000 - one annual tuition scholarship, including Summer and January term courses, per student;
• $20,000 - one annual tuition scholarship, including Summer and January term courses, and overhead costs per student that the Seminary currently bears out of the general fund, per student.

To speak with someone about establishing a named scholarship, please contact David B. Garner (215-572-3839).

Named Scholarships - Perpetual
Gifts of $100,000 or more may be named and designated based on criteria chosen by the individual, church, or organization creating the tuition scholarship. Awards are made by the Financial Aid Committee; however, a church or organization not requiring a tax deductible receipt may also set up an application process to award the scholarship to a specific individual. Named scholarships over $100,000 may be given over a defined period. Partial awards will be distributed until the scholarship is fully funded. Suggested amounts:

• $100,000 - partial scholarship toward annual tuition costs of one student.
• $200,000 - one annual tuition scholarship, including Summer and January term courses;
• $250,000 - one annual tuition scholarship, including Summer and January term courses, and 50 percent of the overhead costs per student that the Seminary currently bears out of the general fund;
• $350,000 - one annual tuition scholarship, including Summer and January term courses, and 100 percent of the overhead costs per student that the Seminary currently bears out of the general fund, per student.

To speak with someone about establishing a perpetual named scholarship, please contact David B. Garner at (215-572-3839).

Living Expense Scholarships
Westminster does not generally provide for living expense scholarships. Gifts to provide living expense support for a designated student are not tax deductible and cannot be receipted by the Seminary. If the Seminary designates the student, the gift can be tax deductible. Individuals, churches, and organizations wishing to provide this kind of support through Westminster may do so. It is considered a "pass through" transaction and does not contribute to the cost the Seminary bears to educate students.

To speak with someone about providing living expenses for a student, please contact David B. Garner at (215-572-3839).

Go To Top

Special Funds

Westminster periodically sets up a special fund account for designated use, such as a building fund. Current projects under consideration include: Community Center Building Fund and several Faculty Chair Funds. Often these projects are initiated after a mutual goal is established between a donor and Westminster. Regarding Faculty Chairs, it is our desire to establish funds to honor our founding faculty members. Discussions are currently underway regarding a Machen Chair, a Van Til Chair, and a Woolley Chair. Each chair will be considered fully-funded when it reaches the $1.5 million mark. If you are interested in contributing a significant gift toward any of these funds, please contact David B. Garner at (215-572-3839).

Go To Top