Charitable Lead Trusts

Support the Church Now and Leave a Legacy for Your Family

A Charitable Lead Trust is a strategic and powerful way to support the Catholic Legacy Foundation of Acadiana while ensuring that your loved ones benefit from the remaining assets. This giving option allows you to balance your charitable goals with the desire to provide for your family’s financial future. 

Charitable Lead Trusts

A Charitable Lead Trust (CLT) is a strategic and powerful way to support the Catholic Legacy Foundation of Acadiana while ensuring that your loved ones benefit from the remaining assets. This giving option allows you to balance your charitable goals with the desire to provide for your family’s financial future.


During the trust's term, annual distributions are made to the Catholic Legacy Foundation (Tax I.D. # 99-4679427), creating a meaningful and immediate impact. At the end of the trust term, the remaining assets are distributed to your designated non-charitable beneficiaries, such as heirs or family members. This arrangement offers a unique opportunity to:


  • Reduce estate taxes
  • Pass wealth to your loved ones
  • Support the Church’s mission during your lifetime
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Benefits of a Charitable Lead Trust

  • Immediate Support for Catholic Causes — Provide consistent annual distributions to the Catholic Legacy Foundation to build up endowments for ministries, schools, and parishes during the trust term.
  • Tax Savings — Potentially reduce estate and gift taxes on assets passed to your heirs, maximizing the value of your gift.
  • Preservation of Assets — Ensure your heirs receive the remaining trust assets after the charitable term ends.
  • Family Legacy — Create a legacy of generosity that benefits your loved ones while making an impactful contribution to the Church.
  • Flexibility — Tailor the trust to meet your financial and philanthropic goals, aligning with your faith-driven values.

How it Works

  • Establish the Trust

    Work with your attorney or financial advisor to set up a Charitable Lead Trust that aligns with your financial and philanthropic goals. The donor transfers assets, such as cash, securities, or other appreciating assets, into the trust.

  • Provide Income to the Foundation

    Annual payments from the trust are made to the Catholic Legacy Foundation of Acadiana (Tax I.D. #99-4679427) for the benefit of an affiliated endowment or fund for the duration of the trust term or the lifetime of one or more individuals. These distributions must total at least $10,000 per year.


  • Distribute Remaining Assets

    At the end of the trust’s term, the remaining assets are distributed to non-charitable beneficiaries, such as your heirs, often with reduced gift or estate tax liabilities.

Example in Action

A donor funds a Charitable Lead Trust with $1 million in appreciated securities.


Over a 20-year term, the trust generates annual payments to the Catholic Legacy Foundation to support endowments for seminarian education and parish ministries that serve the poor.


At the end of the term, the remaining assets, which have grown in value, are transferred to the donor’s children with significant estate tax savings.

Key Considerations

  • Trusteeship — The Catholic Legacy Foundation may serve as trustee if the annual distributions to the Foundation meet or exceed $10,000 throughout the trust’s term.
  • Asset Selection — Since CLTs are not tax-exempt, asset contributions must be carefully considered to ensure tax efficiency and alignment with your financial goals.
  • Customized Terms — The term of the trust can be based on a fixed number of years or the lives of specific individuals.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What type of assets can I use to fund the trust?

    You can fund a Charitable Lead Trust with cash, publicly traded securities, or other appreciating assets.

  • How does a CLT benefit my heirs?

    The remaining assets are transferred to your heirs at the end of the trust term, often with reduced estate and gift taxes.

  • Can I designate how the income from the trust is used?

    Yes, you can direct the annual trust payments to specific endowments or funds within the Foundation that benefit ministries, Catholic schools or church parishes.

  • What is the difference between a Charitable Lead Trust and a Charitable Remainder Trust?

    A Charitable Lead Trust provides income to the Foundation during the trust term and leaves the remaining assets to your heirs, while a Charitable Remainder Trust provides income to you or your beneficiaries first, with the remainder benefiting the Foundation.

Start Your Legacy Today

Ready to make a charitable lead trust gift?

To explore how a charitable lead trust gift can align with Catholic values, contact us today.


Phone (337) 261-5642 | Email mtrahan@CLFAinc.org | Contact Us