An endowment is an investment in the future of the College of Education. When you use your charitable gift to establish an endowment, the gift is invested with two goals in mind: to provide spendable income for whatever specific purpose you have designated and to make the principal grow faster than inflation. The original principal (or gift) is never spent, and any investment return over allowed spending and fees is channeled back into the fund to keep it healthy and growing.
What Makes Endowed Giving Different From Annual Giving?
Simply put – annual giving helps support continual operations, while endowed giving creates building blocks for long-term growth. Many donors who create endowments also participate in annual giving. Both types of giving are critical to the College’s success, but an endowment is distinct and unique in its impact on UGA.
Your endowment will be set up in a separate account within the UGA Foundation to carry out the purpose specified by the donor in the gift agreement. Endowments are invested long-term in an investment pool overseen by the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees. At least quarterly, endowments receive interest and market value adjustments based on the actual results of the investment pool, net of investment management fees.
What Can My Endowment Support?
What you choose for your endowment to support is entirely up to you. You may designate your gift for any purpose (including unrestricted) that betters the University of Georgia and that is acceptable to the University Administration and the Board of Trustees of the UGA Foundation. Depending on what you intend your endowment to support, certain minimum endowment requirements apply.
For questions or more information on how to start an endowment, contact Aldon Knight, Executive Director of College Advancement, at 706-542-2267 or aknight@uga.edu.