Gifts in your Will & memorial giving

When amending or drafting your Will, we kindly ask that you include our address and registered charity number to ensure your gift reaches Guildhall School.

Address: The Guildhall School Trust, Silk Street, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8DT

Registered charity number: 1082472

Guildhall School and its Development & Alumni Relations Office works closely with its linked charity, the Guildhall School Trust (registered charity no. 1082472), to facilitate philanthropic support for the School and its students.

The Trust is the recipient and custodian of all donations and bequests which are granted to the School by the Board of Trustees annually.

Any legacy gifts left to the Guildhall School Trust in support of the School are exempt from inheritance tax and, for UK taxpayers, will be deducted from your estate before any tax liability is calculated.

There are different ways by which you could leave a gift to the School.

Residuary legacy gift A gift of a percentage of your estate once other gifts have been made and expenses have been paid from the value of your estate. You could choose to leave your entire estate or just a percentage, either will make a real difference to the School. This type of gift is useful because it maintains its real value over time, reflecting your true intentions.

Pecuniary legacy gift A gift of a specific amount of money from your estate. With a pecuniary gift, it is worth bearing in mind  that the costs of study and inflation increases year on year and the actual value of your gift may lessen accordingly  over the course of time. To preserve the value of your gift against inflation it may be useful to index-link your gift.

Specific legacy A gift of a particular item or assets such as property or stocks and shares. It may then be appropriate for the School to sell such gifts and utilize the proceeds as appropriate; if you are considering leaving a non-monetary legacy, we would encourage you to speak with us to ensure that your intentions are fully understood.

There are a number of ways you could decide to fund your gift to the School through your legacy.

Lifetime Endowment A gift in excess of £1m, which would provide ongoing support for a project or area of work over a specified number of years.

Expendable Endowment A gift in excess of £100k, where the annual interest and a part of the capital sum is released each year to provide for an agreed amount for a project or area of work over a set number of years or until the funds are spent.

Multi-Year Gift A gift in excess of £25k, held in the Guildhall School Trust’s investment account for a set number of years and spent down annually according to your wishes.

A Single Year Gift A minimum gift of £10k would support two £5k named scholarship for one year for example.

There are opportunities to have your name or the name of someone you love remembered including naming scholarships, spaces, productions and masterclasses.  Talk to the team  to discuss this possibility with you when you are planning your Will.

There are a number of areas where your gift could make a real impact, such as supporting our concerts, recitals, masterclasses, fully-staged plays and opera productions; supporting our teaching staff of directors, designers, conductors, and performers; and helping us to provide world-class teaching spaces and scholarship support.

However situations do change over the years, and if the original purpose of the legacy becomes obsolete, a provision allowing the School to redirect your gift is most useful. You could instruct the School to implement the gift in a field similar to the one that was originally intended or to direct it to wherever there may be a pressing need for financial support at the time.

If you wish to direct your legacy to a more specific purpose than the broad areas outlined please talk to us and we will, of course, make every effort to respect your wishes.

Your one-off donation in memory of a loved one will help support the exceptional work of Guildhall School of Music & Drama, ensuring their legacy lives on through the next generation of performing arts talent.

You can also choose to donate in other meaningful ways: make a regular gift in memory, contribute to a named scholarship, or create a lasting tribute that supports the education of future artists. 

Donate Now and email development@gsmd.ac.uk to tell us who you are giving in memory of.

If you'd like more information, or would like to set up a collective gift in memory, please contact us and we’ll guide you through the process.