An Unrestricted Gift for Chicago’s Future

For more than 100 years, many donors who want their love for Chicago to be reflected in their legacy have chosen to make a bequest to the Trust’s endowment. Our endowment funds much of our competitive grant making and ensures that we will address the region’s most pressing needs now and long into the future.  

Joan Novick, a pioneer in the field of advertising and marketing, deeply loved Chicago and decided that making a generous gift to the Trust’s endowment was the best way to continue improving the lives of fellow Chicagoans after her death.  

Joan discovered her love of writing while contributing to a local paper as a teenager. Among her many professional accomplishments was founding Jerry&Joan Creative, a Chicago advertising agency. The same open-mindedness and curiosity that made Joan excel in her profession inspired her to strengthen her community and advocate for those in need. She and her husband Peter were long-time residents of Hyde Park and she was an active member of the University of Chicago Service League and Hyde Park Village.  

Joan’s financial advisor knew of the Trust’s expertise and experience serving the region’s most urgent needs and connected her with Trust staff. While Joan had many causes that were dear to her heart, she decided that making an unrestricted gift to the Trust’s endowment would create the greatest impact for future generations. When she died on September 25, 2022, she made the Trust the sole beneficiary of her estate with a gift of approximately $2.2 million. 

In Joan’s case, multiple assets contributed to a single gift that will create lasting impact. These included her condominium and the balances of her checking, brokerage, and IRA accounts. The Trust can transform many unique assets into charitable impact. Joan also received royalties from two books that her late husband wrote, which have been transferred to the Trust. 

By gifting all these assets to the Trust, Joan ensured that charities in the city she called home for over 50 years would support their communities for years to come.