“I wish everyone had a chance to spend some time in Washington and really see how the federal government works,” Jane Johnson said during a recent interview about her partnership with Cato. “It’s mostly about process, but then there are places like Cato that actually do policy.” In the late 1970s, Jane saw firsthand how Washington works while she was employed at the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare during reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. “Most Americans are totally unaware.”

Jane recently relocated to California, where she had lived in the 1960s and 1970s as a University of California, Berkeley, graduate student. Experiencing California’s subsequent fiscal decline only bolsters her passion for supporting sensible approaches to government. “When I was a student at Berkeley, California was a relatively well-run state, but now it’s a mess. Successful people are already leaving—and more will follow—because our system is rotten to the core.” The latest proposals for convoluted and harmful wealth taxes to fix the state’s fiscal crisis are yet another indication that policies in California are headed in the wrong direction.

In 2019, Jane was glad to learn about Cato’s Project on Poverty and Inequality in California, which is building relationships with state and local leaders to create real opportunities for low-income residents after decades of failure by big-government approaches. Jane now provides dedicated support for this initiative through her retirement savings, using qualified charitable distributions that fulfill the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules for required minimum distributions (RMDs).

While she’s no fan of the IRS rules, Jane is happy to use her money to support nonprofits that share her values. “There are many people like me who planned ahead and fortunately don’t need to live off RMDs,” Jane said. “I’m so glad I found out about the qualified distributions for charities, and I believe everyone should know about them.”

Jane describes herself as having always been a “libertarian at heart.” And while she doesn’t always agree with everything Cato publishes, she’s proud to be a partner in Cato’s mission to advance freedom and prosperity. We were so grateful when Jane confirmed that she named Cato as a beneficiary of her retirement accounts. One of the greatest honors for the Institute is when Sponsors work with us to build their legacies for liberty. As Cato tests new ways to reach large audiences of persuadable people, including through our project in California, Legacy Society Sponsors also strengthen our ability to plan. It means a lot to have Jane, someone who knows government and the influence our movement can have, as part of Cato’s Legacy Society.