Bequest
Support Stella with a Bequest
Help Stella continued to deliver and expand the multiple programs and initiatives that amplify our $60,000 annual Prize and promote a more equitable Australian culture.
Stella invites you to make The Stella Prize a beneficiary of your Will to help safeguard our future. All bequests of any size contribute to securing Stella’s legacy in years to come.
Your generosity will support our mission to create an Australian society that recognises and values the cultural contribution and diversity of women and non-binary writers’ stories.
The Stella Prize
The Stella Prize is a major award that celebrates Australian women and non-binary writing and an organisation that champions cultural change.
Stella rewards the annual winner with $60,000 in prize money, which buys them a measure of financial independence and that highly undervalued commodity, time, to focus on their writing.
More than just an annual prize, Stella aims to spark debate, raise awareness and influence the national conversation; to connect lovers of literature and inspire women and girls to write; and to lobby for greater diversity of literature in our education system.
My mother, Barbara Coombs, lived for reading and writing. And she was a born feminist, always impatient with a public discourse that excluded female voices. When the Stella Prize was inaugurated she was in the last couple of years of her life. But she knew of the prize and applauded it. So it was a natural fit to make a donation to the prize from her estate… My mother would be proud and humbled.
A message from the Creative Director and CEO
Thank you for your interest in the Stella Prize’s Bequest Program.
Choosing the Stella Prize as a beneficiary of your estate will ensure your family and future generations can continue to be inspired by the power of Australian women’s writing. Your gift will support all of Stella’s activities, including the Prize, Stella Education, Residencies and Stella Days Out amongst other important projects.
The Stella Prize is a registered charity and not-for-profit organisation. When you make Stella a beneficiary of your Will, you will be acknowledged on our website as a valued donor to the Stella Prize.
On the next page you will find all the information you will need to make a bequest to the Stella Prize. If you already have a solicitor, simply read through the information and take it with you to your next appointment. Alternatively, you can ask your solicitor to contact us to discuss your options.
If I can be of any assistance, please contact me. I would be more than happy to visit you and discuss the steps involved in making a bequest in more detail.
Thank you for your interest and support. I look forward to seeing you at a Stella event in the near future.
Yours sincerely,
Fiona Sweet
It has never been more difficult to survive as a writer. We writers are privileged to have a life of absolute intellectual freedom, and that is always worth more than money. But I say it so that each private citizen who has made this award possible truely understands the magnitude of their gift, and how much it means to me and all the winners of this prize: it means everything.
Ways to Leave a Bequest to the Stella Prize
Share a percentage of your estate:
You can leave us a proportion of what is left of your estate after you have provided for your loved ones. This type of gift (known as a residuary bequest) is easy to add to an existing Will without affecting the amounts you have left to family or friends. It also has the advantage that it will not be affected by inflation. Just a small percentage of 1% to 5% or more of your estate can make a difference to us.
Gift a fixed sum:
You could leave us a fixed sum of money (known as a pecuniary bequest). Please remember that this type of gift does not allow for changes in your circumstances or inflation.
Gift an asset:
You may prefer to leave us a particular item (known as a specific bequest), which can be sold to support our work. It could be property or an item of value such as an artwork or a piece of jewellery.
If you would like your bequest to fund a specific activity of the Stella Prize, please contact our CEO Fiona Sweet:
fiona@stella.org.au
0417597117
Wording for your Will
The wording below is the most effective way to to include a gift to the Stella Prize in your Will.
‘I give, free of all duties and taxes *_________ to The Stella Prize (ABN 15 021 275 082) of Level 21, 380 La Trobe Street Melbourne, to be contributed to the Stella Forever Fund. An authorised receipt from The Stella Prize will be a sufficient discharge for the executor(s) or trustee.’
*insert either:
• The whole (or …%) of the residue of my estate.
• The whole (or …%) of my estate.
• The sum of $ (amount).
• Details of a particular asset, such as shares or property.
If you have an existing Will
You can add a Codicil to your current Will, using the form here.
By making a bequest to the Stella Prize you are investing in the importance of women’s stories and creativity, helping to secure the future of Australian women’s writing, and making a lasting impact on Australian culture for generations to come.
To donate to the Stella Prize or obtain more information about
organising a bequest, please contact Creative Director and CEO,
Fiona Sweet:
fiona@stella.org.au
0417597117
