The Claude Pepper Foundation

Endowing a Legacy for the Future

Thanks to the generosity of numerous donors, the Claude Pepper Foundation has been able to carry on as a living legacy to the extraordinary man who gave it life and vitality. If Claude Pepper’s aspirations were allowed to die with him, his life’s purposes would be nullified. The Foundation he created has one overriding mission: to see that this never happens. Toward this important objective, the Foundation is embarking on an ambitious venture to realize a dream that will ensure that the spirit of this great man and his important work endure. The creation of the Claude Pepper Center commemorates and builds upon the accomplishments of Pepper’s five decades of public service, and provides a fitting permanent home for the Claude Pepper Library, Claude Pepper Museum, Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy, and Claude Pepper Center research initiatives.

The ultimate success of the Pepper Center will depend upon the generous help of private benefactors like you.  The income from an endowment provided to build upon the legacy of Senator Pepper will be used to fund Pepper Center and Pepper Foundation projects, including educational programs and exhibitions of the Pepper Library and the Pepper Museum. Our success is dependent upon private support. All gifts to the Foundation are of major significance, but gifts to our endowment – the deep reserves through which we fund endowed chairs, endowed scholarships and fellowships, and endowed new programs – are most helpful and most lasting. We invite your consideration of such a gift to the Pepper Foundation.

Endowment Gifts Create a Legacy for the Future

The Pepper Foundation endowment was first established with funds provided by Senator Pepper to carry on his and Mildred Pepper’s lifetime work. Their gift has since been supplemented by a bequest and funds from both private and public sources. Income from this endowment is used to support the programs in health care, research and scholarship into issues of the aging, support for education at all levels in the state and nation and encouragement of leadership and public service in the American democracy.  Gifts to endowment are like no other gifts to the Foundation. They are permanent, and provide a solid basis for planning for the future. Because the Foundation uses the interest from endowment gifts and preserves the principal, they are the gifts that keep on giving to the worthwhile causes the Foundation itself supports all across America. These uses of the income from the Foundation’s endowment keep the legacy of the Peppers alive and growing and promise to produce some of the most meaningful research and teaching on aging and its consequences available in the nation.Those who make a gift to the endowment today will be a part of that growth of knowledge and understanding for the nation’s aging population.

Return on Investment from an Annual Gift to the Pepper Foundation 

The Pepper Foundation seeks annual support from donors to build on the legacy of Senator and Mrs. Pepper. Thanks to the generosity of numerous donors, the Pepper Foundation has been able to move forward as a living legacy to the extraordinary man and woman who gave it life, vitality and a strong economic start.

For example, an annual gift can help:

  • Educate elders about public policy issues that impact their lives and about effective advocacy.
  • Serve as a conduit for assistance to other groups and programs that help individuals, particularly those programs that ease the burden on elderly citizens.
  • Sponsor or convene groups of experts to analyze public policy issues.
  • Maintain and add to the Claude Pepper Library, one of the most significant political historical collections in the nation as well as an outreach program providing many educational and public interest programs.
  • Develop and sponsor the Claude Pepper Museum.

Donors may make annual gifts to the Foundation in various forms, including outright cash donations, appreciated property and securities, gifts in kind or bequests.

Planning a Gift to the Pepper Foundation

Prospective donors to the Pepper Foundation may wish to consider the range of gift mechanisms, which federal and state tax laws allow and encourage. These include:

  • OUTRIGHT GIFTS: A direct transfer of funds from the donor to the Foundation. Gifts in this category can include gifts of cash, securities, tangible personal property that has increased in value since its purchase, and appreciated real estate;
  • GIFTS THROUGH BEQUESTS: A gift to the Foundation through a bequest in the donor’s will. Gifts through bequests aid the Foundation as it addresses the issues of aging and health in the future. Bequests may take the form of specific bequests, a residuary bequest, contingent bequests, or testamentary trusts. Members of the staff of the Pepper Foundation would be pleased to discuss the ways and means of making gifts through bequests to support the work of the Foundation;
  • LIFE INCOME GIFTS: Life income gifts allow donors to give and receive at the same time, thus making it possible for donors to give more to charitable causes than they could out of current income or savings. In many cases, donors can create trust instruments that allow them to receive income from the gift while receiving tax credit for the larger amount. Life income agreements can be developed with the Foundation through annuity trusts, unitrusts and gift annuities. Tax advisors and attorneys should be consulted in the structuring of such gifts.

It is important for prospective donors to note that the ways in which they contribute to the Pepper Foundation determines the tax benefits. All gifts to the Pepper Foundation are deductible within the regulations of the Internal Revenue Service, but we advise donors to consult with legal and financial advisors as they plan gifts through any of these mechanisms.  All gifts to the Pepper Foundation are tax-deductible within the regulations of the Internal Revenue Service.

Become a Member of the Foundation

The Claude Pepper Foundation encourages those interested in our work to become a member of the Foundation. Members are recognized on the stunning Tree of Life, which is located in the foyer of the Claude Pepper Center.

Pepper Foundation Tree of Life

Depending on the level of contribution, donor names are engraved on a gold, silver, or bronze leaf; a brass acorn; or a foundation stone. Memorial contributions are encouraged. Donations may be made in various forms including cash, property, securities, gifts-in-kind, or bequests.

Membership Levels

$50,000 and over – Large Foundation Stone
$25,000 – $50,000 – Standard Foundation Stone
$10,000 – $25,000 – Small Foundation Stone Patron
$5,000 – $10,000 – Bronze Acorn at Base of Tree
$1,000 – $5,000 – Gold Recognition Leaf Friend
$500 – $1,000 – Bronze Recognition Leaf
$100 – $500 – Silver Recognition Leaf