Palmer Endowment Fund
The Palmer Endowment Fund exclusively supports Palmer and its ministries. Founded in 1986, the Endowment has grown through donations of cash, securities, real estate or other property; bequests in a will, retirement funds or life insurance policies; creation of a lifetime trusts; donation of a residency or farm reserving the right to continue use for the balance of a giver’s lifetime; transfer of assets of small family foundations that are considering termination; and purchases of niches in Palmer’s Chapel of the Resurrection and Columbarium. These funds have been invested to preserve the corpus, while income is available to support Palmer.
The Endowment is governed by its Board of Trustees, who serve 5-year terms. The Endowment Board’s policy for years has been to average the previous three year-end balances and calculate 3-5% of that average as the amount to consider transferring to Palmer. This “trailing average” ensures some stability and predictability in the amount that can be provided each year. As of December 31, 2024, the Endowment Fund had grown to over $5 million.
The endowment is vital to our community because:
- It assures regular financial returns in predictable amounts and, preserved intact, does so forever;
- Supplemented by living gifts, bequests, and trusts—its principle can grow at a rate to help keep pace with parish ministry needs.
Methods of Giving
There are a variety of ways in which you can give to the Endowment:
- Outright donation of cash, securities, real estate, or other property
- Bequest in a will with the Palmer Endowment Fund as outright, contingent, or terminal beneficiary (e.g. after expiration of an annuity of unitrust interest in favor of one or more individuals)
- Creation of a lifetime trust, reserving the right to continue use for the balance of a giver’s lifetime
- Donation of a residency or farm reserving the right to continue use for the balance of a giver’s lifetime
- Donation of life insurance policies or naming the Society as contingent or terminal beneficiary
- Transfer of assets of small family foundations that are considering termination
The Palmer Endowment Fund Board
Jim Rosenbach – Chair,
Cindi Tharpe – Secretary ,
Alisha Renshaw – Treasurer,
Dawn Hawley,
Jere Ahrens,
The Daphne Palmer Neville Society
The Palmer Endowment Fund honors those who have included the Endowment in their estate plans by naming them as members of the Daphne Palmer Neville Society.
Palmer’s origin comes from the generous gift of Daphne Palmer Neville to honor her brother, Edward Albert Palmer, who died while trying to rescue her from drowning in 1908. In 1927, Daphne (Mrs. Edwin I. Neville), made a $100,000 donation for a collegiate chapel at Rice University’s Autry House in his honor. In 1929, Palmer Chapel became a parish—Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church.
Members may be recognized by their name appearing on a leaf of the Society’s tree plaque hung outside the Palmer office. By becoming a part of the Society, you honor those who have come before, those who are here today, and those who will be here tomorrow. Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church is a testament of what great things can happen in a community of people who truly desire to know and share the love of Jesus Christ.
Through your legacy gift to the Daphne Palmer Neville Society, you can ensure that our ministries continue to live into the joyous mission of transforming lives.
Questions about Legacy Giving at Palmer? Please contact any Endowment Fund Board member, the Church office at 713.529.6196, or Sue Howard for more information.