Leave a gift in your Will

Types of gifts

The two main types of gifts people usually consider leaving the Academy are:

Residuary Gift (a share of your estate)
After you have provided for your loves ones and taxes have been paid, you could choose to leave a share or the full remainder of your estate to the Academy. This means your estate is passed on to those you love as well as ensuring the work of the Academy into the future.
Many people choose to leave a residual gift as it keeps in line with inflation and doesn’t lose value over time.

Pecuniary Gift (an amount of cash)
You could choose to leave a specific sum of money from your estate which you have not already left to others. To ensure a fixed amount is not affected by inflation you can speak to a solicitor about index-linking your gift.

Other types of gifts people may leave are:

In Memoriam Donations
Instead of funeral flowers you can ask donations to be made in your memory to the Academy. We thank all individuals for their donations and for privacy we do not disclose gift amounts.

Specific Gift
This is a particular item of value such as a property, antiques, jewellery and shares.

Life Interest Gift
A life interest gift is a gift your chosen charity will receive once a trust benefiting someone else ends. For example, a property left for a spouse to continue to live in until they pass away, after which it is passed onto the Academy.

However you choose to support the Academy, please ensure that any instruction clearly includes our unique registered charity number 1185329 as this will ensure your gift arrives safely and promptly.

Write or update your will

We have partnered with FreeWills so our supporters can have their wills written for free.
There’s no commitment to include a gift to the Academy of Medical Sciences if you take up this offer. However, if you do want to leave a gift in your will for our work long into the future, we would be incredibly grateful.

Online or by phone
With FreeWills you can make a personalised will online in three simple steps, from the comfort of your own home and with support from their will specialists. You can also make a will with them over the phone by calling 0333 188 5688.
To use this service, please visit https://www.freewills.co.uk/

Unfortunately, with the current difference in Scottish law, the FreeWill service is only available in England and Wales.

Find a local solicitor
Alternatively, you may prefer a face-to-face appointment to make, or update, your will with a local solicitor. You can find a solicitor through The Law Society which is a professional association for solicitors. Search The Law Society Directory , or the Law Society of Scotland, if you are in Scotland, by using the quick search option "Wills, trusts and probate" to find your nearest solicitor.
If you need a solicitor that provides specialist legal advice for older and vulnerable people, their families and carers, try Solicitors for the Elderly.
Costs will depend on the type of will you require and, if you have a partner, you can choose to make a mirror will with them.

Essential wording

We strongly encourage you to use a specialist solicitor or will-writing expert to help create or change your will. They can advise and support you to ensure that your estate is distributed exactly according to your wishes.

If you do decide to leave a gift in your will to the Academy of Medical Sciences, you will need to provide clear instruction to your executors. Below are some wording we recommend you discuss with your solicitor.

For a residuary (share of your estate) legacy:
"I give [all / a fraction / a percentage of the residue] of my estate absolutely to the Academy of Medical Sciences of 41 Portland Place, London W1B 1QH (registered charity number 1185329, incorporated by Royal Charter, registration number RC000905) absolutely for its general charitable purposes and I declare that the receipt of the treasurer or other proper officer for the time being shall be a full and sufficient discharge to my executors."

For pecuniary (cash) legacy:
"I give to the Academy of Medical Sciences of 41 Portland Place, London W1B 1QH (registered charity number 1185329, incorporated by Royal Charter, registration number RC000905) absolutely, the sum of [amount in figures, amount in words] for its general charitable purposes and I declare that the receipt of the treasurer or other proper officer for the time being shall be a full and sufficient discharge to my executors."

For a specific gift:
" I give to the Academy of Medical Sciences of 41 Portland Place, London W1B 1QH (registered charity number 1185329, incorporated by Royal Charter, registration number RC000905) absolutely, [write in here whatever you wish to give] for its general charitable purposes and I declare that the receipt of the treasurer or other proper officer for the time being shall be a full and sufficient discharge to my executors."

Information for executors

If you are administering someone else’s will that which includes a gift to the Academy of Medical Sciences, you may have some questions. Below is some information we hope you will find helpful. Alternatively, please contact our legacy fundraising manager, Sayara, on sayara.muthuveloe@acmedsci.ac.uk

Making a payment

There are two main ways you can make a payment to the Academy as the executor of someone's will:

• Paying by cheque

Please send a cheque made payable to ‘Academy of Medical Sciences’ to:
Academy of Medical Sciences, 41 Portland Place, London W1B 1QH

• Paying by bank transfer

If you would like to make a payment direct to our bank, please contact Sayara who will share the relevant details with you.

We would be grateful if you could include the name and address of the deceased as well as your contact details when transferring the gift. This will allow us to update our database and ensure no future mailings are sent out. You can include this information with the cheque or over email to  fundraising@acmedsci.ac.uk

If there is any information as to why they chose to leave their special gift to the Academy we would love to know. It is not a requirement but helps us to know more about why we were remembered in their will.

Other addresses
Our registered address is often used in the will. This is 41 Portland Place, London W1B 1QH. The will could use our previous address, which was 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5ED.

Life Interest Gifts
If we have been left a gift that is to be held for the benefit of someone else, please let us know about the gift as soon as you are able to.