The Endowment Fund

In order to better provide for the needs of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park over the coming years, the Board of Directors of the Friends of Paynes Prairie, Inc. has established an Endowment Fund, in perpetuity, the proceeds of which shall be used to provide income for programs of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park.

For questions about the Endowment program, please contact us.

The Endowment Fund will be administered by a group of Trustees appointed by the Board of Directors, and answering to them.

The Endowment Fund is a restricted fund, and will be used solely to provide income for Preserve projects. The money you give to the Fund will be used only for income for these purposes, and principal may not be invaded.

This is an excellent way for you to "give to the future" of our Preserve, and to help generations yet to come to know and enjoy the real Florida.

Since Friends is a 501(c)(3) public charity, there may be ways for you to give which will help Friends while providing advantageous treatment for you on your Federal income taxes. Please discuss this with your attorney or tax advisor. If they are interested, we can provide contacts with professionals who can offer advice.

The fund may accept gifts of real property, but these shall either be conveyed to the State of Florida, or sold at the market as soon as practical. Gifts of stocks and bonds shall likewise be sold at the market, and the proceeds invested.

The gifts we give today are transitory, and the support they provide is soon consumed in day-to-day needs. But a gift to the Endowment Fund will keep on giving far out into the future.

The William Bartram Society

The Friends of Paynes Prairie, Inc. has established the William Bartram Society. Named after the noted Eighteenth Century naturalist who extensively described the natural history of Paynes Prairie in the 1780's, the William Bartram Society recognizes benefactors, during their lifetimes, for bequests or other substantial planned gifts to the Friends of Paynes Prairie Endowment Fund.

Fellows of the Society will be central to our efforts to enhance the programs and services of Paynes Prairie, and will help ensure that the Friends will be able to meet the needs of the Preserve into the future. The income of the Endowment Fund is used to support the full range of programs of the Preserve, and to meet financial needs, which cannot otherwise be funded.

To join the William Bartram Society, simply notify the Friends of Paynes Prairie, Inc. in writing that you have included the Endowment Fund of the Friends as a beneficiary of any one of the following planned-giving instruments:

• A codicil to your Last Will and Testament
• Living Trust
• Retirement Plan Designation
• Charitable Gift Annuity
• Deferred Gift Annuity
• Charitable Remainder Trust
• Retained Life Estate

Bequests and related settlements must be for at least $3,000 at the time of initiation.

Your attorney may wish to contact us for more information. We can provide a model codicil to simplify the inclusion of the Friends of Paynes Prairie Endowment Fund in your will.

*Each Fellow of the Society will be given a handcrafted sterling silver pin in the shape of a Sandhill Crane.