Help shape the future with better solutions to the many policy challenges that the world faces. You can make a difference by providing current or program-specific support to the Baker Institute to advance knowledge and scholarship in critical research areas. There are many ways for you to impact the work of the Baker Institute by making a gift.

Know that your philanthropic support advances public policy scholarship that changes lives. Click here to learn how or contact the Baker Institute development office at [email protected].

Make an Impact

Cash Gifts

Your annual gift provides discretionary funds for allocation to new opportunities and initiatives.

Payroll Deduction

Employees of Rice University may sign up to donate through paycheck deductions. Please log in to Esther to establish a payroll deduction.

Gift Pledges

A pledge is a formal statement of intent to make a gift to the Baker Institute that is often disbursed over the course of three to five years.

Matching Gifts

Many corporations match or multiply their employees’ gifts. You can ask whether your employer participates in such a program to maximize your philanthropy or use Rice’s Matching Gifts finder.

Appreciated Securities

A gift of long-term appreciated marketable securities can provide you with tax advantages as well as provide the Baker Institute with philanthropic support. Closely held securities in a company that is not publicly traded may provide additional estate planning and family business succession opportunities. A gift of securities may provide the donor with significant tax savings.

Planned Gifts

Planned gifts are gift arrangements that have specific tax advantages and often include lifetime income to the donor or a named beneficiary. Baker Institute donors may utilize planned giving methods to enjoy such benefits as capital gains tax savings, increased income and income tax savings, while at the same time benefiting the Baker Institute. A planned gift can maximize your giving potential and even allow you to ensure your future financial security or that of a loved one.

Gifts with Retained Interest

Your gift to the Baker Institute can allow you to hold an interest in that gift for life, or for a specified period of years, after which the funds become available to the Baker Institute. For example, you can set up a charitable trust, which allows you or a beneficiary to receive income from that trust for a specified period, or for life. You can donate your home to the Baker Institute while retaining the right to live in it for life.

Gifts of Real Estate

You may claim a charitable deduction on your tax return based on the full market value of the gift, or eliminate certain costs associated with the transfer of real property when giving a home or real property to the Baker Institute.

Joe Jamail poses with James A. Baker III, Edward P. Djerejian, and guests at an event in Baker hall

The Baker Institute dedicated the Lee and Joseph D. Jamail West Wing of Baker Hall at a ceremony marked by gratitude and good memories. A $1 million gift from the legendary Texas lawyer, donated in honor of Baker’s 80th birthday, enabled the institute to expand into an area formerly occupied by another Rice University department.