Indiana University School of Law Indianapolis Planned Giving Scholarships to Help Cover Law School Costs for Prospective Estate and Gift Planning Attorneys

PGI funds a planned giving scholarship at Indiana University School of Law Indianapolis. This endowed scholarship was established in 2018, to assist lawyers who are pursuing careers in nonprofit law to afford law school. First preference for the scholarship is given to students who have a stated interest in a career in charitable gift planning.

This endowment supports internships at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Originally supporting academic professionals in the College of Education Graduate School, the endowment was repurposed in 2021 to support a planned giving intern in partnership with the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education Association (CASE) program at the University of Illinois Foundation (UIF).

As with the U of I Foundation intern, PGI partnered with CASE to bring 8-week summer internships to the following organizations and educational institutions:

• Virginia Tech
• Howard University
• Jewish United Fund of Chicago
• Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Taliesin West
• Oregon Community Foundation in partnership with Oregon State University

Interns are able to work one-on-one with planned giving’s seasoned experts in the field, as well as take part in a comprehensive curriculum for advancement professionals and career development through the CASE track.

PGI also supports a 10-week summer internship, specifically in planned giving, at Boston College as part of BC’s robust internship program. Again, PGI’s BC intern takes advantage of hands-on learning from skilled professionals and other BC interns as well as expanded learning through collaboration with PGI’s other past and present interns, building on a network of up-and-coming professionals in planned giving.

The intern experience for all interns also includes a PGI-designed Planned Giving Workshop as part of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners Council Leadership Summit. Here the interns are able to connect with one another, network with and learn from leaders in the industry, as well as hear from past PGI interns about their experiences and how it’s helped them in their current roles.

PGI maintains an endowment with CGP to cover the cost to send four participants to the national conference each year as well as an annual membership to CGP.

PGI recognizes the need for action and thought around DEI efforts. In support of these efforts, PGI has created a grant with CGP for yet to be determined areas of funding.

The events and circumstances of the year 2020 provided many challenges to organizations causing a disruption in current operations as well as creating a need to rethink and perhaps adapt future operations to address the current state of affairs. In light of these challenges, PGI wanted to provide support to local planned giving councils through a grant to the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (CGP), who in turn, sent out requests for grant support to help councils in whatever way they were most impacted. In 2021, PGI funded $16,000 in grants to 14 local councils, and in 2022, PGI funded $36,000 to an additional 18 local councils to support efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, membership recruitment and retention, council programming initiatives and general support. A new round of council support for 2023 through CGP will grant an additional $50,000 to local councils demonstrating need.

Through the Hibel National Conference Scholarship, CCPG is able to offer its membership one scholarship to attend the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners Annual Conference. The Scholarship includes attendance at the National Conference and a one-year CGP membership.

PGI recognizes that planned giving professionals need viable resources to learn and network. Local planned giving councils offer this service, and to many, have been a lifeline in their professional work. In order for these professional councils to remain strong and continue to be a viable resource to planned giving professionals, PGI endeavors to institute a bequest program. Currently, the founders of PGI have initiated this program by creating their own bequest intention to their local council, the Chicago Council on Planned Giving.