Sidney Sussex was founded thanks to a bequest from Lady Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex, in 1596. Over the centuries, many other benefactors have left money to the College to enable it to continue offering exceptional opportunities to students and academics.
Leaving a legacy to Sidney is one of the easiest ways to make a meaningful contribution to the future of the College and community.
As Sidney is a registered charity, any bequest will be exempt from inheritance tax if you are a UK tax-payer.
There are a number of ways in which you can remember Sidney Sussex in your Will:
- Leave a fixed sum (pecuniary)
- Leave a gift of all or part of the net residue of your estate that remains once you have provided for your loved ones (residuary)
- Offer part of your estate should any one of your beneficiaries predecease you (conditional)
- Leave your assets with a trustee, so that family and loved ones benefit during their lifetime, before passing on the remainder to the College once they have all died (reversionary)
- Leave a specific or non-cash gift, such as a work of art, shares or property
By including the College in your Will, you can also choose to benefit the College in a specific way that reflects your own interests and priorities, such as supporting bursaries and access, academic research or extra-curricular endeavours; or you may wish to leave an unrestricted legacy which can be used where the College’s need is greatest.
We highly recommend that you seek advice from a solicitor on the best way to record your intentions, and many UK legal practices offer free or greatly reduced rates during the Free Will Months of March and October every year. For those of you in the USA who are considering benefiting the College in your planned giving, you can do so without any loss of tax efficiency through Cambridge in America, which in addition to giving membership of the Lady Frances Sidney Circle, will also make you eligible to join the 1209 Society.
If you are thinking of leaving a gift to the College in your Will and have a specific question, please do let us know and we will do our best to ensure your wishes are met, within in the scope of what is possible. If you have already remembered Sidney in your Will and not told us, please do so here, as we would like to invite you to join the Lady Frances Sidney Circle, which recognises all those who have pledged a legacy to the College.
If you are already a legacy pledger to the College, and would like to feature in our forthcoming legacy literature, please email the Development Office.
