Friends of IHES is delighted to share the latest philanthropy project of the organization’s longtime supporters, Carolyn and Keith Hilles-Pilant. A trained mathematician with a deep admiration for the French school of mathematics, Keith has served as a member of the Friends of IHES Board of Directors since 2021.
After an early career in industry with IBM, Keith returned to academia at Harvard. Keith has also served as Executive Director of Math for America in Boston. Since stepping down from that role, he has dedicated himself to supporting the mathematics community through philanthropy and governance. He is committed to ensuring the sustainability of organizations close to his heart, such as PROMYS (where he was recently appointed Chair of the Board) and IHES.
Keith firmly believes in the power of multiplier effects—maximizing outputs from modest inputs. Whether in research, teaching, administration, or philanthropy, this principle has guided him throughout his life.
Carolyn and Keith view Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs) as a powerful tool to achieve a multiplier effect in philanthropy. To further advance their support of the mathematical sciences, they have thus established a CRT with Princeton University, Keith’s alma mater, allocating the trust to benefit and strengthen connections among three organizations: Princeton University, the Institute for Advanced Study, and IHES. By including Friends of IHES among the beneficiaries, Carolyn and Keith have reinforced their commitment to fostering IHES’ unique model of free and independent fundamental research in mathematics and theoretical physics.
A CRT allows donors to transfer property or assets into a trust while continuing to receive payments based on the value of those assets. Donors place a gift into a trust managed by a designated organization. The trust pays a certain percentage of the principal annually to the donor for life. When the trust ends, the remaining funds are donated to the organizations chosen as beneficiaries by the donor.
The benefits of a CRT are numerous:
Total payments may exceed the initial donation.
Donors can add to a unitrust at any time.
Capital gains taxes on the donation of appreciated stock are eliminated.
Capital invested in the CRT is immediately eligible for a federal income tax charitable deduction.
Assets are removed from the donor’s taxable estate.
Trusts benefit from professional management, such as Princeton’s investment team, which oversees a diversified porfolio of equities and fixed-income products.
For Carolyn and Keith, this initiative embodies the multiplier effect they value, as it allows their contributions to grow over time and to have a lasting impact on the organizations they cherish and support.
Friends of IHES is grateful for their dedication and vision, which will continue to strengthen the organization and its global mission for years to come.