Endowments provide permanent support and financial stability for the University.
- Endowed funds are interest-bearing; principal is invested while the interest is used to achieve the fund’s purpose.
- Historical payouts of approximately 5 percent allow a $1 million endowment to generate $50,000 a year for immediate use. The reinvestment of earnings above this annual payout provides a healthy hedge against inflation.
Approximately 480 endowed funds currently exist at Southwestern, with a total combined market value of $281,475,886 (as of June 30, 2018).
Endowed Funds create a personal legacy to protect the things you love most about Southwestern.
- You can choose a purpose or program that best fits your interest — from student scholarships to faculty support; library collections to technology resources.
- A named endowment allows you to honor or memorialize a family member, a life-changing professor or an organization that helped sculpt your education.
- By growing the endowment, you sustain Southwestern’s tradition of academic excellence.
During the 2018-19 fiscal year, $2,709,168 was made available in scholarship aid to Southwestern students through endowed scholarship funds. See the full list of endowed funds and the purposes they support. Our students appreciate your financial support.
Endowments can be structured at a level that meets your charitable goals through vehicles that make it easy for you to invest in Southwestern’s future.
- Minimum requirements for establishing an endowment vary depending on the nature of the gift opportunity, but all can be funded through a single gift or multiple gifts spread over a period of up to five years.
- You can fund an endowment through your estate by inclusion in your will or by naming Southwestern as a beneficiary of assets you may already have as part of your testamentary plans.
Read more about Gifts to Endowment .