These are just a few of the options for making a planned gift. Your lawyer or financial advisor can assist you in deciding which giving option is the most appropriate for your circumstances and wishes.
A planned gift to the Coolidge helps ensure the long term stability of the theatre, and ensures the future of our mission to "entertain, inform, and engage — building a vital community through film culture".
We are happy to work with you to identify programs and opportunities that might best represent the ways in which you’d like your gift to impact the Coolidge.
Coolidge Legends honors friends who are securing the Coolidge’s future by including the Coolidge in their estate plans through a bequest, trust, or other legacy gifts. If you have included the Coolidge Corner Theatre in your estate plans, we hope you will let us know. We would love the opportunity to express our gratitude and appreciation through your membership in the Coolidge Legends.
Please contact our Development Office at development@coolidge.org or 617-734-2501 for more information about the Coolidge Legends.
Adding a simple bequest to your will is an easy way to contribute to the future success of the Coolidge. The bequest can be for a specific amount of money or a percentage of your estate. It can be made outright, or once family, friends, and other loved ones are cared for. In any case, the Coolidge will be the grateful steward of part of your life's legacy.
Sample bequest language:
"I bequeath ____% of my residuary estate (or $____) to THE COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE FOUNDATION, INC., 290 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable cultural organization. Federal Tax ID number: 04-3039722."
You can designate the Coolidge as the beneficiary of your IRA or other retirement assets such as 401(k) and 403(b) plans and the Coolidge will receive the funds upon your passing, or you can make outright gifts during your lifetime from these same assets that the Coolidge can use immediately. You can leave the entire balance to the Coolidge, or designate a specific portion.
Donate a paid up life insurance policy that you no longer need for your family and receive a current income tax deduction. If you designate the Coolidge as owner and irrevocable beneficiary of a fully paid life insurance policy, you may take a charitable income tax deduction for the policy's terminal reserve value (approximately equal to its replacement value). Or, you might think about taking out a new policy benefiting the Coolidge and receive tax benefits with each premium paid.
When designating the Coolidge as the beneficiary of any type of gift, please use our official title and address: THE COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE FOUNDATION, INC., 290 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446.

Cindy and David Palmquist first felt connected to their community after receiving a gifted membership to the Coolidge over a decade ago. Since then, the Coolidge has remained a fixture in their lives. From annual The Big Lebowski screenings and RZA’s live performance, to drive-in movies during the pandemic and learning something new at Science on Screen®–there are too many favorite memories to choose from.
Thinking about places that bring them joy, it made sense for the Palmquists to include the Coolidge in their planned giving. “We wanted to do something that would benefit the whole community, and it’s important for us to see places like the Coolidge remain independent,” they say.
“We feel that now more than ever community and belonging are essential. The Coolidge gives us that and if we can do anything to help foster that for others, it’s really a no-brainer.”

Larry Ruttman’s first time coming to the Coolidge was in 1938 for a film called The Baker’s Wife. Now, tens of thousands of moviegoers look up at the same art deco details in Moviehouses 1 and 2.
After a career in law, Larry pursued his love for storytelling and became an accomplished author of five books, ranging from the history of Judaism in major league baseball to profiles on world-renowned musicians.
As lifelong Brookliners, Larry and his wife Lois want people to keep coming to the Coolidge. “It’s a source of inspiration and knowledge. Movies have something to say about the universal human experience,” Larry says.
Having included the Coolidge in their plans, they envision a new generation finding inspiration, knowledge, and solace in the theatre. “The movie theatre is one of the few forms of community we have left,” recalls Lois, “my parents used to go out to the movies every week. We want to keep that form of community alive.”
If you have included the Coolidge in your estate plans, we hope you will let us know. We would love the opportunity to express our gratitude and recognize you in our listings.
DOWNLOAD OUR PLANNED GIFT NOTIFICATION FORM
For more information, please contact our Development Office at development@coolidge.org or 617-734-2501.