BHI Foundation, Inc.

Giving to others... enhancing lives

“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill

Residents of BHI’s Indiana senior living communities live life to its fullest. We strive to provide them with the most fulfilling retirement lifestyle possible… one made rich with exceptional amenities and services, spacious homes, interesting activities, caring staff, and most of all – good neighbors.

The BHI Foundation, Inc. was founded nearly a quarter of a century ago with a clear mission: to secure and administer charitable gifts and investments to support and enhance the mission of BHI Senior Living , Inc. Today, BHI’s Indiana communities include Hoosier Village Retirement Center, The Towne House Retirement Community, and Four Seasons Retirement Center.

Since our founding in 1986, the BHI Foundation has worked with BHI Senior Living to enhance the lives of our senior living residents and improve the skills and training of our staff. From 2004 through 2008, we have distributed $671,000; today, we have total assets of $4.9 million. Through the generosity of our donors, we have been able to provide many important benefits to BHI’s CCRCs, ensuring that they can continue to offer a caring, enriching living environment and a full continuum of health care and other services for many years to come.

Over the last two decades, our achievements have included:

  • Good Neighbor Fund – BHI residents who exhaust their financial resources, through no fault of their own, and are no longer able to meet their monthly living expenses can depend on this fund for their continued support, whether in our independent living or assisted living housing. We are proud to say that no resident with a continuing care agreement has ever been asked to leave one of BHI’s senior living communities because of inability to pay.
     
  • Employee Scholarship Program – The BHI Foundation sponsors a scholarship program for the employees of BHI’s retirement communities. This tuition reimbursement program is designed to encourage employees to enhance their personal and professional growth through higher education. Retirement community employees can choose from two career development tracks: college credit/vocational courses or professional nursing licensure (RN and LPN).
     
  • Special Gifts & Projects – The generosity of our donors has enabled the BHI Foundation to make many improvements to BHI’s senior living communities, including: transportation vehicles (buses and golf carts), wide-screen TVs, chilled salad bars, paved walking paths, landscaping, and enhanced medical facilities.

Our Future

The future of the BHI Foundation is promising… and with your help, we can achieve our collective dreams! There are many ways for you to get involved and help us to make life better for our residents. We invite you to join us today and help to fulfill the mission of the BHI Foundation, Inc.

Ways to Give*

Outright Gifts – The easiest method of giving to the BHI Foundation is an outright gift made during a donor’s lifetime.

  • Gifts of cash are simple, straightforward ways to donate to the BHI Foundation that allow your gift to begin helping immediately. Depending on your income tax bracket, a portion of it may be counted as a charitable income tax deduction.*
     
  • Gifts of appreciated assets, like stocks or bonds (or in some cases, real estate) that you have owned for more than one year (and that have increased in value) can minimize taxes and leverage the full value of the asset. By transferring the asset directly to the BHI Foundation Inc., you may be able to deduct the full fair market value of the asset at the time of the gift.*

Bequests – A bequest is a provision in a will or living trust that gifts assets to the BHI Foundation upon the death of the donor. The gift can take the form of cash, a specific amount or item, a percentage of the estate, or securities.

Charitable Gift Annuities (CGAs) – This is the cornerstone of the BHI Foundation’s growth. A CGA can benefit one person or two people consecutively. It can also be entered into for the benefit of another person. A Deferred Charitable Gift Annuity option is also available. In addition to its value to BHI’s communities, a CGA offers many potential benefits to the donor*:

  • Secured fixed income for life
  • Higher income based on age
  • Charitable deduction/tax savings
  • Bypass of capital gain on gift
  • Tax-free income portion
  • Remainder to charity

Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs) – A CRT is a trust in which the remainder (whatever assets remain after all other terms and conditions have been fulfilled) is transmitted to a qualified nonprofit charitable organization such as the BHI Foundation Inc. There are two types of Charitable Remainder Trusts:

  • A Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust (CRAT) provides a fixed income each year.
     
  • A Charitable Remainder Unitrust (CRUT) provides an income that is revalued annually.

Each type of CRT bypasses capital gains, provides an income increase, and offers a charitable tax deduction.*

Charitable Lead Trusts (CLTs) – A CLT is a trust which provides an income stream to a charity, after which the trustee returns the remainder to whomever the donor designates (usually the donor’s heirs). It is, therefore, the reverse of a charitable remainder trust. It can be very useful to provide a gift and at the same time conserve assets for one’s heirs at substantially reduced gift taxes.

Life Insurance – A gift of a life insurance policy – with BHI Foundation, Inc., named as the owner and beneficiary – is an appealing way to make an outright charitable gift. It acknowledges your commitment now, permits a much larger gift than could otherwise be made currently, and is made from assets that will not affect your level of income.

Contact Us

BHI Foundation, Inc., is a 501(c)3 organization. Our board of directors is independent from the board of BHI Senior Living , Inc.  All gifts made to the Foundation are tax-deductible in accordance with the tax laws of the United States of America and the State of Indiana.

If you would like additional informatin regarding the foundation,  you may contact Kathleen Thornton, foundation director, at  kthornton@BHIseniorliving.org or 317-873-3371.

BHI Foundation, Inc.
5415 Bearberry Lane, Indianapolis, IN 46268
317-873-3371

* Please note: The information provided should not be construed as tax or legal advice. Please consult with your tax advisor and/or attorney regarding your individual circumstances. Information taken from Crescendo Plus Software Release 2009.3.