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Planned Giving

Named after the wise and benevolent magician in William Shakespeare's The Tempest, the Prospero Society recognizes those who have provided for A.C.T. in their estate plans. Lifetime membership is extended to individuals who support A.C.T. through a bequest, will, living trust, or other planned gifts.

Your planned gift will have a profound effect on A.C.T.'s future. It may be used to:

  • Support mainstage productions at American Conservatory Theater
  • Support the creation and development of new plays and musicals
  • Provide scholarships to support students and aspring actors in A.C.T.'s Conservatory 
  • Foster the next generation of theatergoers by providing subsidized tickets to schools and community groups
  • Support public school programs and community partnerships that seek to use theater as a conduit to help students succeed academically, promote a sense of self, and serve as a catalyst for social change


For information about supporting A.C.T. through a bequest or to discuss how you would like your planned gift allocated, please contact  Sasha Habash at shabash@act-sf.orgor 415.439.2415.

Maintaining A.C.T.'s long-term financial stability and leadership demands that a substantial portion of A.C.T.'s annual budget come from endowment income. Planned gifts build endowments. Large endowments are essential for the success of any large arts organization, and A.C.T. particularly needs a strong endowment to support its artistic mission: "to engage the spirit of the San Francisco Bay Area, activate stories that resonate, promote a diversity of voices and points of view, and to empower theater makers and audiences to celebrate liveness." Bequests, charitable trusts, and other planned gifts allow donors to provide generous future gifts from their estate to support A.C.T.'s core mission without disturbing their financial situation during their lifetime.

The most common way people remember A.C.T. in a will or living trust is with a charitable bequest. You do not have to rewrite your current documents. You simply add an amendment, called a codicil, to your will or living trust. Here is some suggested language you can have your attorney review:

"I give and bequeath to American Conservatory Theater Foundation, Tax Identification Number 94-6135772, located in San Francisco, California, $_________" (or state a percentage of your estate, or describe real or personal property, including exact location).

Your bequest is entirely under your control during life and becomes irrevocable only upon death.

We would be honored to enroll you in A.C.T.'s Prospero Society. Membership includes invitations to special legacy giving circle events and, with your permission, recognition in the annual donor listings. Contact Sasha Habash at shabash@act-sf.org or 415.439.2415 for more information.

A designation in your IRA or other retirement plan may be a very cost-effective way of making a gift to A.C.T. If you leave your retirement plan to your children, they will have to pay income tax on either a lump sum distribution or the income stream from the plan. A.C.T. does not pay this tax. Here is an example of what this can mean to your heirs:

A widower died a few years ago. He left his $300,000 house to charity and his $300,000 retirement plan to his relatives. He should have done just the opposite. The relatives had to pay income tax on the $300,000 in the retirement plan, an $80,000 cost to them. If they had received the home, and the charity had received the retirement plan payment, no one would have paid income tax.