Benefiting Youth and Supporting Education
A True Texas Legacy

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ is one of the Southwest’s largest charities, benefiting thousands of young Texans each year. Since the Show began in 1932, “The Show With a Heart” has committed more than $220 million to the youth of Texas.

For more than 75 years, the Show has been entertaining and educating millions of fans, bringing a love of the land, agricultural roots and Western heritage to an increasingly urban population. The Houston Livestock Show™ is the world’s largest livestock show, RODEOHOUSTON™ is the richest regular-season PRCA rodeo, and the Show boasts top-quality concerts, a first-class horse show, and more exciting family fun in one of the world’s finest exhibition and sporting facilities, Reliant Park.

The community has responded through the years, not only by enjoying the entertainment aspects in record numbers, but also by donating to the Show’s educational programs.

Leaving a Legacy
Giving is an individual decision, and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo offers opportunities to fit one’s own personal goals with the Show’s needs.

Many people give because they received scholarships and financial aid as students and want to see other young men and women enjoy the same benefits. Some caught a calf in the calf scramble or exhibited an animal as a youngster and know how much the Show means to the youth of Texas. Some just know the importance of making the dream of a college education a reality.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo invites you to make an investment in the higher education of tomorrow’s leaders through planned giving.

“Planned Giving” is a term commonly used to describe a wide variety of giving vehicles that allow you to gift to charity during your lifetime and/or after death, while meeting your income stream needs and providing for your heirs.

Bequests and gifts are traditional planned giving opportunities.
A legacy is a charitable gift provided for in a person’s will, which typically comes out of his or her estate.

A gift made during the donor’s lifetime is a charitable gift in which the donor receives a tax benefit at the time of the gift, and usually also still obtains some type of other benefit associated with the donated property. These gifts are usually established with a benefit associated with the donated property, or with a contract that ends after a fixed period or upon death of the donor or some other person.

Legacies are treated like ordinary charitable gifts. However, gifts made during the donor’s lifetime often take the form of trusts or other legal arrangements that typically involve contracts designed to fulfill certain aspects of state and federal law to provide a tax benefit to the donor.

Planned Giving is typically done in conjunction with estate planning and is a viable option for donors of all income levels.

From a donor’s perspective, planned giving is attractive for many reasons. It may allow you to give larger gifts than you otherwise could out of your current assets. Depending on how a planned gift is set up, it also may let you receive a stream of income for life, earn higher investment yields, or reduce your capital gains, income tax or estate tax.

Planned gifts often appeal to people who want to benefit a charitable organization such as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, but aren’t certain how much of their assets they will need during their lifetime.

Planned Giving Options
The most common types of planned giving vehicles are charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, charitable bequests and beneficiary designations.

Charitable Remainder Trust
A charitable remainder trust allows you and/or other designated beneficiaries to receive income from a trust for your lifetime(s), or for a period of years not to exceed 20 years. At the end of that time, the balance of the trust is transferred to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. You can receive a charitable deduction for a portion of the gift you make to the trust in the year the trust is formed.

The two most common types of charitable remainder trusts are annuity trusts and unitrusts, which differ on how the annual income you receive from the trust is calculated and distributed.

Charitable Lead Trust
A charitable lead trust allows you to designate the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to receive an amount from a trust for a number or years or lifetime of a designated person. At the end of that time period, the remainder of the trust passes to your designated heirs or other non-charitable beneficiaries.

Charitable Bequest
The term “charitable bequest” is used to describe anything you give or leave to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo from your estate through a will, a revocable living trust or irrevocable trusts. An “estate” is any property, money or personal belongings that you may have at the time of your death. Most people leave an estate when they die, regardless of whether they consider themselves wealthy. Even an individual with a small estate can arrange to leave a charitable bequest.

You can arrange to bequeath a gift from your estate in several different ways. You can set aside a specific dollar amount or a specific asset, leave a percentage of your estate, or leave any assets left over after provisions have been made for your family. Some people use bequests to give the Show something they own, such as a car, a home, a ranch, art or jewelry. Others leave paid insurance policies or other financial investments such as stocks, bonds or certificates of deposit. These gifts may provide tax savings, but you should consult with your professional advisor for details.

Beneficiary Designations
By designating the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as the beneficiary of your life insurance or retirement assets, you can enjoy some flexibility in your charitable giving, as well as certain tax advantages. The Show will receive the specified assets upon your death, and you have the option of changing the eventual gift throughout your life.

Contact Us
The Endowment Committee stands ready to answer your questions about ways to give to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo that are consistent with your own charitable giving goals.