Planned Giving

Visitors looking at Sargent painting of Mrs. Inches, a woman in red sleeveless dress
Visitors looking at Sargent painting of Mrs. Inches, a woman in red sleeveless dress

Support the Museum’s future and make a lasting impact through a gift in your will, trust, retirement plan, or other planned gift.

Since the MFA’s founding more than 150 years ago, many generous supporters have thoughtfully established legacy gifts that reflect their values and interests. A planned gift is one of the easiest and most meaningful ways to support the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Establish Your Legacy at the MFA

The most common and flexible types of planned gifts are bequests and revocable trust provisions. You can make these gifts in any amount and alter them at any time without affecting your current financial situation.

Making the MFA a beneficiary of your retirement account is easy, flexible, and tax-savvy. This type of gift does not require changing your will or trust. Your retirement plan administrator can provide you with the necessary forms. Please note the Museum’s legal name and tax ID.

  • Legal name: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
  • Tax ID: 04-2103607

A charitable gift annuity is a simple contractual arrangement between an individual and the Museum. In exchange for a gift of cash or securities, the MFA will pay you and/or another person income for life.

Additionally, individuals who are 70 and a half years old or older have a one-time opportunity to fund a charitable gift annuity with a qualified charitable distribution from an individual retirement account (IRA).

Contact the Planned Giving office for more information.

Donor-advised funds are accounts you set up in partnership with a sponsoring charity—often a community foundation or charitable arm of a financial institution—which allow you to recommend charitable donations through that account. Donor-advised funds do not automatically dissolve after your lifetime and can continue to make charitable distributions if you choose to add a successor advisor(s) to the named fund. Alternatively, you can instruct your DAF administrator to distribute any remaining funds to designated charities.

For more information about these or other types of legacy gifts, please contact the Planned Giving office. We are also pleased to offer you two complimentary resources: an Estate Planning Guide and an Essential Information Workbook. You can request these resources in the contact form at the bottom of this page. 

We encourage you to consult with your financial advisor, attorney, or other trusted professionals to know if a giving option is right for you.

Sargent Society

The Sargent Society welcomes donors who provide for the MFA through legacy gifts of all types and any amount. The Sargent Society is a community of art lovers who are committed to making the world of art welcoming and accessible.

Sargent Society members enjoy invitations to special behind-the-scenes programs, updates on upcoming exhibitions and MFA initiatives, opportunities to meet MFA leadership, curators, and program staff, and direct access to a personal contact in the Planned Giving office.

To join the Sargent Society, contact Planned Giving at [email protected] or 671-369-3193. We look forward to welcoming you!

Estate Planning Guide and Essential Information Workbook

Estate Planning Guide
Essential Information Workbook

Access this helpful guide to assist in your estate and philanthropic planning with loved ones and financial advisors. Complete the Contact Us form to request your free Estate Planning Guide and Essential Information Workbook.

Resources for Professional Advisors

The MFA’s Planned Giving team is here as a resource for lawyers, accountants, or other professional advisors. We are happy to answer your questions and provide draft language for a bequest or trust that is tailored to your client’s philanthropic goals.

Please contact us—we're here to help.

MFA’s Legal Name and Address

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
465 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Tax ID

04-2103607

Please contact our office for the following

  • Cash or stock wire transfer instructions
  • W-9 form
  • 501(c)(3) tax determination letter
  • MFA articles of incorporation

If you are an executor, trustee, or personal representative of an estate, please contact

Rachel Comstock, Planned Giving Officer
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
465 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Phone: 617-369-4365
E-mail: [email protected]

Please see below for sample bequest and trust language for an unrestricted bequest or trust provision.

If your client is interested in supporting a particular purpose or department, or including an endowment provision, please contact the Planned Giving office for suggested language. We are here to help you plan your clients’ philanthropic goals and discuss how their interests align with our MFA mission.

For information on how your client may make a gift of art, see How to Give Art.

Sample Bequest and Trust Language

The following is sample language for an unrestricted bequest or trust provision:

I give to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation, for its general purposes: (select one or more)

  • the sum of _________________________ dollars
  • _______% of the residual of my estate/trust
  • description of a certain asset: _____________

If you are interested in supporting a particular purpose or department, or including an endowment provision, please contact the Planned Giving office for suggested language.

Contact Us

The MFA Planned Giving team can help you think about how your legacy gift can best support what is most important to you. Our team can answer your questions, discuss your ideas, and share options for giving. We want to help you realize your philanthropic goals and discover how your interests align with our mission here at the MFA.

Please fill out the form below and we’ll reach out to you, or contact MFA Planned Giving at [email protected] or 617-369-3193.