Make a gift in your Will

Your legacy will inspire future generations to nourish their interest and passion for science.

William Bragg lecturing at the Ri in 1925 and modern schoolchildren at the Ri
Image credit: Royal Institution

Your gift will make a difference

Making a Will takes time and consideration, and we understand that your friends and your family come first. When you have taken care of your loved ones, please consider leaving a gift to the Royal Institution. 

If the Royal Institution has a special place in your heart, your generosity can help future generations enjoy our amazing CHRISTMAS LECTURES and mind-expanding science shows. Your love can preserve our precious museum collections. And your kindness can widen and grow crucial school programmes in disadvantaged communities.

Every gift, no matter how big or small, will help us inspire future generations to think more deeply about science and its place in our lives. 

Together, we can empower children - from all walks of life - to become our scientists, engineers, mathematicians, programmers and inventors of tomorrow.

We're enormously grateful to everyone who includes a gift in their Will to the Royal Institution. We simply couldn’t do our vital work without your kind support. 

Free Will writing service

We’ve partnered with Farewill to offer you the opportunity to write your Will for free, from the comfort and privacy of your own home. Farewill is the largest Will writing specialist in the UK.

You can write or update your Will for free, online or over the phone. 

There's no obligation to leave a gift to the Royal Institution in your Will, but we hope you may consider it. If you do choose to leave a gift to the Royal Institution in your Will, thank you.

Our free online Wills service is available to people aged 18 or over who live in England and Wales. Unfortunately, it’s not yet available to those in Scotland or Northern Ireland because of key differences in laws around Will writing and inheritance. We’re working hard to make this available to everyone as soon as we can. 

How does it work?

  1. To redeem your free Will, click the button below.
  2. Create an account with Farewill and complete their simple online questionnaire.
  3. Your Will is then checked within 5 days by an expert, to make sure your wishes are clear.
  4. Once it has been checked by Farewill’s experts, you need to print and sign in front of two witnesses to make it legally binding.

Write your Will with Farewill

You can also choose to write your Will for free over the phone. Our telephone service is available to all supporters who are 18 or over and live in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Please call Farewill on 020 8050 2686 or you can request a free call back from one of Farewill’s specialists who will review your instructions, answer any queries and finalise your Will.

Book a call back with Farewill

Write your Will with a solicitor

If you prefer to write your Will face-to-face with a solicitor, you can find a qualified professional through Remember a Charity and The Law Society.

Types of gifts in Wills

There are a number of ways to leave a lasting gift to the Royal Institution.

Making an unrestricted gift means your legacy will go to where our need is greatest at that particular time.

If you have a particular area of interest, which is close to your heart, please get in touch so we can discuss and plan for your intentions.

A pecuniary gift

This is a donation of a fixed sum of money or shares.

A residuary gift

This is a gift of all, or a percentage of, your estate after all other payments and bequests have been made.

A specific gift

This is a gift of an item or a collection of items.

Reduce your inheritance tax

Your legacy to the Royal Institution will inspire future generations with science and reduce your inheritance tax.

  • We're a registered charity and all gifts are tax-exempt
  • If you leave at least 10% of your estate to charity, your loved ones will benefit from an inheritance rate of 36% instead of 40%

Get in touch

We’re always happy to help with any queries about gifts in Wills. Whether you’ve decided to leave a gift in your Will or would like more information, we’d love to hear from you.

Please call the development team on 020 7670 2950 or email legacies@ri.ac.uk

The Royal Institution is closed 19 March

The Ri is closed this week on Tuesday 19 March.