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Reviewed by Owen Hathaway, AttorneyUpdated June 5, 2026The person who creates a trust, also called the settlor, trustor, or trust maker. The grantor puts assets into the trust, names who manages it and who benefits, and sets the rules it runs by.
A grantor is the person who creates a trust, transferring assets into it and setting the terms that govern them. The same role carries several names: settlor, trustor, and trust maker all describe the person who establishes a trust. Trust documents often say settlor, while federal tax law says grantor; they mean the same person.
The grantor decides who benefits from the trust, names the trustee who manages it, and defines how and when the trust distributes property. How much control the grantor keeps afterward depends on the kind of trust: with a revocable living trust the grantor can change or revoke it at any time, while with an irrevocable trust the grantor gives up that power, which is what unlocks benefits such as asset protection and certain tax advantages.
Colorado and Wyoming both use the word settlor in their versions of the Uniform Trust Code (C.R.S. Title 15, Article 5; Wyo. Stat. Title 4, Chapter 10). Grantor is the term federal tax law uses, including the grantor trust rules. The labels are interchangeable in ordinary use; the person is the same whichever a given statute or document chooses.
Related terms
- revocable living trustA trust created while you are alive that you can change or cancel at any time. It holds your assets so they can pass to the people you choose without probate, and lets a person you name step in to manage things if you become unable to.
- trusteeThe person or institution that holds and manages trust property under the trust's terms, for the benefit of the beneficiaries.
- irrevocable trustA trust that generally cannot be changed or revoked after it's created. Giving up control is the price for benefits like asset protection and tax planning.