Giving began as a child for Phyllis King, putting her dollar in the offering envelope each Sunday morning at church. Today, through a qualified charitable distribution (QCD), Phyllis’ generosity has established the Gilbert and Jean King Memorial Endowment, dedicated to helping children in need. The endowment’s focus on children came from the example Phyllis’ mother set for her, as well as Phyllis’ career of seeing the musical potential in young children. As a music teacher, Phyllis believes that “all children have music in them if we just help them express it, and the same is true for all the gifts a child has.”
Working closely with Texas Methodist Foundation through her philanthropic journey, Phyllis established the endowment to honor her parents and to ensure their legacy of caring for their community. The endowment has supported grants to the Mission Milby Community Development Corporation which raises families out of poverty and improves their quality of life in its neighborhood in Houston, Texas. The endowment has also supported Iconoclast Artists, which focuses on creative writing and expressive arts to empower students in underserved schools and juvenile detention centers in Houston and Galveston, Texas.
Going forward, Phyllis plans to further build the endowment by taking full advantage of the flexibility the QCD provides. Individuals over the age 70½ may give up to $100,000 annually from their IRA as a QCD, which must be made directly to the charity thus excluding this from a donor’s annual income.
Phyllis has felt her relationship with Texas Methodist Foundation to be a personal partnership. TMF worked with her each step of the way establishing the endowment and ensuring the gift properly reflects her parent’s vision. Phyllis entrusted to TMF’s Grants committee the opportunity to select which nonprofits will benefit from the Gilbert and Jean King Memorial Endowment. Phyllis notes, “The team at Texas Methodist Foundation have been instrumental in helping me establish and manage the endowment. Every time I call, anytime I need to visit with staff, they are so faithful in responding and checking in. I feel very confident in growing the endowment with TMF. It’s the people that make the difference.”
If you are interested in giving through a QCD like Phyllis, or would like to discuss your philanthropy, please feel free to reach out to Sally Richard to discuss how you can make a difference.
SRichard@tmf-fdn.org | 512-583-1940