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Ernie and Willa Royal Memorial Scholarship for Minority Students

Pioneering restaurateurs Ernie and Willa Royal met as teenagers while working as a dishwasher and waitress in a Beacon Hill restaurant in 1935. They married three years later, and joined forces in their life-long fight for better educational and equal employment opportunities for minorities in the foodservice industry. After Mr. Royal served in the Marines during World War II, the couple opened a takeout barbecue and chicken joint in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1955. Years later, on vacation in Vermont, Ernie and Willa discovered and bought an abandoned restaurant. Royal's Heartside Restaurant opened in Rutland in 1963. The seafood restaurant quickly attained national fame. 

Elected as the first black board member of the National Restaurant Association in 1975, Mr. Royal immediately immersed himself in programs to get more minorities involved in foodservice. During his life, Mr. Royal also served as director of the Rutland Region Restaurant Association and international director of the Canadian Restaurant and Food Services Association. In 1987 Mr. and Mrs. Royal sponsored a $150-a-plate fund-raiser at their restaurant to endow this memorial scholarship in order to recruit minorities and fund their culinary education. The Royals pledged to match contributions by the 60 people who attended the dinner, but their generosity did not end with the event. The Royals further ensured their legacy and the scholarship would be lasting by naming The Culinary Institute of America as the beneficiary of their estate. The many minorities who have achieved worthwhile foodservice careers are forever grateful for their tireless campaign.

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Information contained herein was accurate at the time of posting. The information on this website is not intended as legal or tax advice. For such advice, please consult an attorney or tax advisor. Figures cited in any examples are for illustrative purposes only. References to tax rates include federal taxes only and are subject to change. State law may further impact your individual results. California residents: Annuities are subject to regulation by the State of California. Payments under such agreements, however, are not protected or otherwise guaranteed by any government agency or the California Life and Health Insurance Guarantee Association. Oklahoma residents: A charitable gift annuity is not regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Department and is not protected by a guaranty association affiliated with the Oklahoma Insurance Department. South Dakota residents: Charitable gift annuities are not regulated by and are not under the jurisdiction of the South Dakota Division of Insurance. A copy of our most recently filed financial report is available from the Charities Registry on the New York State Attorney General’s website (www.charitiesnys.com) or, upon request, by contacting the New York State Attorney General, Charities Bureau, 28 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10005, or us at Hyde Park, NY. You also may obtain information on charitable organizations from the New York State Office of the Attorney General at www.charitiesnys.com or (212) 416-8401.

CONTACT THE OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT:
Office of Advancement
1946 Campus Drive
Hyde Park, NY 12538-1499
845-905-4275
Email: advancement@culinary.edu
​© The Culinary Institute of America. All rights reserved. Phone: 845-452-9600

A charitable bequest is one or two sentences in your will or living trust that leave to Culinary Institute of America a specific item, an amount of money, a gift contingent upon certain events or a percentage of your estate.

an individual or organization designated to receive benefits or funds under a will or other contract, such as an insurance policy, trust or retirement plan

 Bequest Language

"I, [name], of [city, state, ZIP], give, devise and bequeath to Culinary Institute of America [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted use and purpose." 

able to be changed or cancelled

A revocable living trust is set up during your lifetime and can be revoked at any time before death. They allow assets held in the trust to pass directly to beneficiaries without probate court proceedings and can also reduce federal estate taxes.

cannot be changed or cancelled

tax on gifts generally paid by the person making the gift rather than the recipient

the original value of an asset, such as stock, before its appreciation or depreciation

the growth in value of an asset like stock or real estate since the original purchase

the price a willing buyer and willing seller can agree on

The person receiving the gift annuity payments.

the part of an estate left after debts, taxes and specific bequests have been paid

a written and properly witnessed legal change to a will

the person named in a will to manage the estate, collect the property, pay any debt, and distribute property according to the will

A donor advised fund is an account that you set up but which is managed by a nonprofit organization. You contribute to the account, which grows tax-free. You can recommend how much (and how often) you want to distribute money from that fund to CIA or other charities. You cannot direct the gifts.

An endowed gift can create a new endowment or add to an existing endowment. The principal of the endowment is invested and a portion of the principal’s earnings are used each year to support our mission.

Tax on the growth in value of an asset—such as real estate or stock—since its original purchase.

Securities, real estate or any other property having a fair market value greater than its original purchase price.

Real estate can be a personal residence, vacation home, timeshare property, farm, commercial property or undeveloped land.

A charitable remainder trust provides you or other named individuals income each year for life or a period not exceeding 20 years from assets you give to the trust you create.

You give assets to a trust that pays our organization set payments for a number of years, which you choose. The longer the length of time, the better the potential tax savings to you. When the term is up, the remaining trust assets go to you, your family or other beneficiaries you select. This is an excellent way to transfer property to family members at a minimal cost.

You fund this type of trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. You can also make additional gifts; each one also qualifies for a tax deduction. The trust pays you, each year, a variable amount based on a fixed percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to CIA as a lump sum.

You fund this trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. Each year the trust pays you or another named individual the same dollar amount you choose at the start. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to CIA as a lump sum.

A beneficiary designation clearly identifies how specific assets will be distributed after your death.

A charitable gift annuity involves a simple contract between you and CIA where you agree to make a gift to CIA and we, in return, agree to pay you (and someone else, if you choose) a fixed amount each year for the rest of your life.
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