Yes, you certainly can!
Given everyone's family situation is different, we suggest a few options outlined below:
- You can create a college fund for the child and become the fund owner. This will require you to provide the child's social security number and other identifying information. You will have control over the fund, including how it is invested, and will be able to change the beneficiary to a different child in the future. If you wish to transfer ownership of the fund to the child's parent at a later point, you will need to fill out some paperwork. To set up a fund, go to https://backer.com/signup.
- You can send a gift to the child's parent to kick off the child's college fund. This will send an email notification to the parent about your gift and will give them the option of starting a college fund for the child in order to redeem your gift. The parent will become the fund owner and you will become the child's "backer." Once the parent redeems the gift, you will no longer have control over it, as the parent will have control over the college fund. You do not need to know any personal details about the child to send a gift -- you just need to have the child's name and an email address for the child's parent. To send a gift, go to https://backer.com/gifts.
Please email us at support@backer.com with any questions as we want to make sure the fund is set up to meet your goals!