Assignment of Dividends
How Your Assignment of Dividends to ABE Works — Your Policy’s Unique Charitable Giving Feature
Founded in 1942, the American Bar Endowment (ABE) is a §501(c) (3) not-for-profit public charity. ABE fulfills its charitable mission of improving the administration of justice, one of the profession’s highest obligations, by making annual grants to support law-related research, public service, and educational projects and programs.
By participating in ABE's group insurance programs, you can contribute to these efforts. By enrolling in ABE-sponsored insurance programs, unless you notify the ABE otherwise pursuant to the procedures set forth below, you agree to donate to ABE your share of any dividends payable on the group policies for ABE to use for its charitable purposes. Donations of dividends to ABE are tax-deductible to the insured to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Members who donate dividends to ABE make a difference.
Dividend donations are a significant source of ABE's charitable grants. Insureds who donate their dividends help meet their professional and public responsibilities, as well as obtaining valuable coverage for their families. About 83% of insured attorneys donate their dividends.
Insureds are notified each year of the expected dividend percentage for its programs, through our website and a mailed letter. For those who do choose to donate, you will receive a contribution notice with the amount of your contribution that can be used for tax deduction purposes. Dividends are not guaranteed, and in any given year, a given policy may not pay a dividend; dividends will vary from year to year.
Members who wish to request a refund of their dividends may do so.
If in any given year, if you do not wish to donate your dividend to ABE, you must request a “refund” of your dividend by emailing [email protected] by no later than December 15th of the year for which a refund is requested. This must be done any time after the first policy year of your participation and a written request must be submitted each year.
ABE will send confirmation of any request received, and you should retain that confirmation for your records as proof that your refund request was received.
If you do not receive a confirmation please contact the ABE. (Special instructions for new applicants are contained in the application and apply to any dividends earned during the first policy year only.)
Donation acknowledgments of your dividend, or dividend checks (if applicable), are mailed by late January the following year.
Please note: Insureds who do not want to contribute dividends to ABE must make a written request for refund each year, using the procedures above. When you sign the application for insurance, you are agreeing to donate your dividends unless you otherwise notify the ABE to request a refund. Do not sign the application if you do not agree with these procedures.
"The ABE’s grant to the ABF not only allows us to conduct our innovative and influential research, it is also the catalyst for nearly all the work of the ABF."