Definition

Noun: A legal arrangement in which property or assets are held and managed by one or more trustees for the benefit of a charitable, religious, educational, or scientific purpose, rather than for private individuals.

Usage

A charitable trust is a specific type of trust established to provide ongoing support for a designated public benefit cause. The trustees are legally obligated to manage the assets according to the trust's terms and for its stated purpose.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The foundation operates as a charitable trust dedicated to funding medical research.
  • She left her estate to a charitable trust that supports local schools.

Advanced Usage

• "to establish/set up a charitable trust": The formal process of creating this legal entity.
  • They decided to establish a charitable trust to ensure their philanthropic work would continue.
• "trustee of a charitable trust": Refers to the individual or institution responsible for managing the trust.
  • As a trustee of the charitable trust, her duty is to oversee the scholarship fund.

Variants and Related Words

• Charitable foundation (n): An organization, often structured as a trust or corporation, established to support charitable activities. While similar, a foundation can have different legal structures.
• Trust (n): The broader legal concept of a fiduciary relationship where one party holds property for the benefit of another.
• Endowment (n): A fund or asset donated to an institution, often held in a trust, where the principal is kept intact and the investment income is used for operations.

Synonyms

• Philanthropic trust: A trust created for the purpose of promoting human welfare.
• Public trust: A trust created for a public or charitable purpose.

Related Phrases

• In trust for charitable purposes: A legal phrase describing how assets are held.
  • The land is held in trust for charitable purposes.
• Charitable purpose trust: A more technical legal term for a trust with a charitable objective.

Noun

1. a trust created for charitable or religious or educational or scientific purposes