Giving

Your annual gift to the Tufts Dental Fund ensures the quality of a TUSDM education by supporting every aspect of the student experience—in the classroom, in the lab, and in the clinic as well as student rotations, externships, and presentations. Dental Fund gifts are put to use immediately, addressing a range of needs at the school, including financial aid, faculty development, and facility maintenance.

Examples of what your gift to the Dental Fund can do:

$50 – Print a poster for a student research conference

$150 – Provide a CAMBRA kit for student rotations

$1,000 – Support a Tufts Dental student as a TA

$2,500 – Fund student travel to present research and attend conferences/meetings

$5,000 – Enable digital radiography in Preclin

$10,000 and up – Create a named term scholarship for a deserving student

Donors are always given the choice to direct their gift to the initiatives that are most important to them within the Dental Fund. While we understand that some donors appreciate the opportunity to designate their gift to a specific priority, such as financial aid, research, or a specific department, unrestricted support (area of greatest need) remains the greatest priority. 

Thank you to all our alumni, parents, faculty, friends, and students who give every year to the Tufts Dental Fund, at any level. You pave the way for current and future students to follow in the footsteps of accomplished TUSDM alumni around the world, making a difference in the lives of their patients, in their communities, and advancing the profession of dental medicine.

We honor our leadership donors with membership in the Dental M Club.

What is a capital gift?

Any gift that is designated for a particular initiative, such as endowment support, scholarship assistance, or building renovation, is a capital gift. Capital gifts are made in the form of cash, securities, or property. Capital gifts of a certain magnitude may be used for naming opportunities – for example, a classroom or a scholarship fund may be named for the donor or in honor of another person of the donor’s choosing. Capital gifts of a certain magnitude may also be used to endow a fund (such as a scholarship, faculty chair, or book fund) in the name of the donor or another. Capital fund-raising builds endowment to address the school’s highest priorities: student aid, faculty support, and new construction and renovations.

The School of Dental Medicine is seeking additional endowed faculty chairs. Supporting teaching and research through endowed professorships and faculty chairs is a continuing priority. These valuable naming opportunities for donors are a crucial key to recruiting and retaining top faculty. Endowed chairs and professorships enable Tufts to create and support new faculty positions, attract prominent scholars and fund their teaching and research. Endowment funds supplement faculty salaries, support faculty scholarship and research, and enhance program and professional development.

Why are capital gifts needed?

This year, as in past years, funding for endowment is critical for the school’s future strength. As is the case with nearly all private academic institutions, tuition paid by dental students does not cover the cost of each student’s education. Contributions by alumni and friends cover the deficit and allow the School to continue to grow and excel as the premier school of dental medicine.

With the rising costs of a dental education and the increasing indebtedness of new graduates the average Tufts Dental School graduate has accrued debt of nearly $325,000. Scholarship support for students is more crucial than ever before. Increasing endowed scholarship aid is essential to ease this financial burden and necessary to help attract and retain the top students. The School’s top three priorities remain:

• Increased endowment support for existing and new professorships.
• Increased financial aid to further enhance the School’s ability to yield the best students from all over the world.
• Raising funds that will enable the School to complete its master plan facility renovation phases.

While the School has identified the preceding as its top three needs the Office of Dental Development and Alumni Engagement will seek and support fundraising opportunities for other projects as they arise in consultation with Dean Thomas. 

How are capital gifts used?

Some donors choose to apply their gifts to the Dental School’s endowment. Interest earned on the endowment supports general operating costs, financial aid, and professorships. Currently, the Dental School’s endowment is approximately $20 million. While the size of the endowment is healthy, the School aspires to grow the endowment in coming years, to maintain its advantage over peer institutions. Alternately, donors may wish to designate their gifts for particular projects. Examples include building renovation or the creation of a scholarship fund.

Finally, donors may prefer to give unrestricted gifts. These gifts are used to cover the most urgent funding needs. Those needs are determined by the Dean, in conjunction with the faculty and administration of the School. Because the Dental School is recognized as a non-profit institution by the United States Internal Revenue Service, gifts to the School are usually tax-deductible for US citizens. Non-US citizens are encouraged to check their local tax laws to determine the tax deductibility of their gifts. Please note that Tufts University has established charitable foundations in Greece, France, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong to provide the greatest tax benefits for donors in those locations.

For further information about these funding opportunities, please contact the Alumni Engagement and Development Office: 617- 636-3475. 

Be Part of the Future of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine

Your planned or estate gift leaves a lasting personal legacy of support for scholarship, teaching, and research at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. The Gift Planning Office is here to work with you, your family, and your advisers to help you create a plan that meets both your financial and philanthropic goals.

Bequests

A bequest allows you to make a long-term commitment without affecting your current standard of living. You can provide for the future of the Dental School by naming Tufts as a beneficiary of a specific dollar amount or a percentage of your estate. You may choose to support a particular fund or program at the Dental School or your gift may be unrestricted.

Sample Bequest Language

Unrestricted Bequest: “I give ________________ to Trustees of Tufts College, of Medford, Massachusetts, for the general purpose and use of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.”

Gift for preferred purpose: “I give ________________ to Trustees of Tufts College, of Medford, Massachusetts, in support of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. It is my wish that this gift be specifically used to support [list donor’s specific intent here]. If it becomes inappropriate or impossible to accomplish this purpose of the gift as described herein, then the dean of the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine may designate this bequest to be used for the benefit of a substantially similar purpose.”

If you are in the process of creating a will, your attorney may want to know the university’s tax identification number: 04-2103634.

This information is not intended to be legal or tax advice. Please contact your attorney if you are considering this type of gift.

If you are working with an estate or trust that is distributing a gift to the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, please contact the associate director of estate administration, who oversees receipt of all such gifts on behalf of Tufts University:

Yvette Story, Esq.
Associate Director of Estate Administration
80 George Street
Medford, MA  02155
Email: yvette.story@tufts.edu
Direct Line: 617-627-3876
Fax: 617-627-4425

Many companies sponsor matching gift programs for their employees and retirees. Please check with you and/or your spouse’s human resources department to determine if your gift is eligible to be matched. Please send matching gift forms to: Tufts University, P.O. Box 3306, Boston, MA  02241. Questions? Call 1-800-737-7035.

• Charitable Gift Annuities allow you to make a gift and receive a steady income stream, claim a charitable tax deduction, while also supporting the Dental School.
• Charitable Remainder Trusts offer a way to make a meaningful future gift to the Dental School, while simultaneously providing income for life or for a specific term of years, for yourself and/or others you name.
• Charitable Lead Trusts are individually managed trusts which make payments to the Dental School or another charity for a specified term of years or for the life of one or more individuals.
• Gifts of Real Estate may free you from paying real estate taxes, maintenance costs, and insurance, and can result in capital gains tax savings.
• Retirement Assets, such as IRAs, 401(k)s, and other qualified plans, provide a very simple way to make a future charitable gift.
• Other gift types include Business Interests, Life Insurance, and Pooled Income Funds.