A Meaningful Gift for the Future

Estate planning requires great thought, time and preparation. To begin the process, James T. Wendel of Sanford, Maine, developed a set of goals for the recipient of his gift. He wanted to find a respected not-for-profit entity with a sole mission dedicated to advancing medical research for the benefit of humanity.

The organization needed to have high integrity and honor, with the ability to expend funds efficiently. Most importantly, James wanted to find an organization that demonstrates the ability and willingness to research a rare disease, which was very personal to him, called distal hereditary motor neuropathy.

"If it was 'necessary' for me to have this disease, I want to support research on a cure that may save someone from it in the future," explains James.

Ultimately, James' research with these goals in mind pointed him to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH). According to James, he selected the FNIH for his estate gift because it offers the following:

  • A federally chartered not-for-profit, which sets the bar high for scientific and administrative trust and excellence in behavior;
  • A unique connection to the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—the world's premier medical research agency—which has the scientific purpose, strength and shared public support of the citizens of the United States that comes with implied trust and administrative transparency;
  • Close contact to the local, national and global scientific community; and
  • The flexibility and scale to identify the right project and assemble the right management and scientific team to achieve a strong outcome.

For more than 20 years, the FNIH has worked with private sector donors like James to accelerate biomedical research and strategies to fight against diseases in the United States and across the world. Through its research, education and training programs the FNIH touches a wide range of health challenges—from cancer to Alzheimer's disease to rare diseases—in an effort to improve health and, ultimately, save lives.

To learn how you can make the FNIH part of your estate planning, please contact the Advancement department at advancement@fnih.org or (301) 402-5343.