Bequests, donations and life insurance

Photography of Carole Clement, Head of donor relations and bequests, donations and life insurance

Carole Clement, Head of donor relations and bequests, donations and life insurance ©Institut du Cerveau - ICM

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As a foundation of recognized public utility, the Institut du Cerveau – ICM is authorized to receive bequests, donations and life insurance policies while being totally exonerated from inheritance and property transfer taxes. All that you transmit thus benefits research directly.

Ms. Carole Clément, Head of donor relations and bequests, donations and life insurance, is at your entire disposal to answer your questions, in complete confidentiality and without any commitment on your part. Don’t hesitate to contact her at 01 57 27 41 41 or by email.

QUESTIONS ANSWERS

What are the differences between a bequest, a donation and a life insurance?

  • A bequest enables you to transmit to the Institut du Cerveau – ICM part or all of your possessions (movable property or real estate). To be accepted, your desire to make the bequest must be consigned in a will that won’t take effect until your death. You can change or annul your will at any time.
  • A donation is an act by which you transmit irrevocably during your lifetime the right to or the ownership of a possession in favour of the Institut du Cerveau – ICM. All of the property donated will serve during your lifetime to accelerate research.
  • Life insurance is a simple solution for transmitting a capital in a context that is fiscally advantageous. At any moment, a person having subscribed to a life insurance policy can decide to designate the Institut du Cerveau – ICM as the beneficiary or co-beneficiary of this product at term or when he dies.

What property can I transmit to the Institut du Cerveau – ICM?
As a foundation of recognized public interest, the Institut du Cerveau – ICM is authorized to receive all types of property: movable property (such as a sum of money or a portfolio of actions), real estate (a house, commercial property, land, …), or even intellectual property rights, jewellery, works of art …

Can I transmit property if I have children?
Yes. Depending on your family situation, if you have direct heirs, designated “rightful heirs” (spouse, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren), legally you must reserve part of your estate, called “reserved”, for them. But you dispose of a part, called “the available share,” that you can transmit to the Institut du Cerveau – ICM: between one fourth and three fourths of your belongings. Don’t hesitate to contact your notary.

Is there a minimal amount that I can bequeath to the Institut du Cerveau – ICM?
There is no minimal amount for making a bequest to the Institut du Cerveau – ICM. All transmitted property, whatever the value, helps us advance research and develop new treatments.

Why is it recommended to make a will?
In the absence of a will, your property is automatically divided among your heirs according to law. If you don’t have an heir or in the absence of a will your property will revert to the government.

Why seek counsel from a notary?
To make a bequest, the notary can give you advice specifically adapted to your situation. You can register your will in the central file of last wills and testaments, which will assure that it is respected.

Your notary can also help you write your will. His expertise and his knowledge of the procedures in the domain of successions will enable you to make the right choices for you and your heirs.

YOU’RE A PRIVATE PERSON?

By choosing to transmit your property to the Institut du Cerveau – ICM, you associate your name with an innovative project to overcome the numerous diseases of the nervous system. You also support a prestigious research centre that brings together the best scientists and researchers in the field.

As a private person you can, for example:

  • Make, starting today, a donation for which the Institut du Cerveau – ICM will be exonerated from property transfer taxes and will give you the right to a tax reduction equal to 66% of the amount of the donation, up to 20% of your taxable revenue.
  • Prepare your succession by transmitting to the Institut du Cerveau – ICM all or part of your estate in a will.
  • Designate the Institut du Cerveau – ICM as beneficiary or co-beneficiary of your life insurance policy.

YOU’RE A PROFESSIONAL?

As a notary, an estate manager, you are solicited by your clients to:

  • Prepare the transmission of an estate
  • Construct a philanthropic project
  • Optimize the fiscal management of an estate

As a Foundation of recognized public utility, the Institut du Cerveau – ICM is authorized to receive bequests, donations and life insurance policies that are totally exonerated from inheritance and property transfer taxes.

Your clients can also benefit from important fiscal advantages (reduction of their income tax, ISF, etc…) while supporting innovative research projects on the brain and spinal cord.

Contact

Carole Clément – Responsable des libéralités
01 57 27 41 41 – carole.clement (at) icm-institute.org