Endowments
Growing the UA's endowment expands and secures the impact of our programs deep into the future
Establishing an endowment ensures the causes you care about have stable, lasting support year after year.
You can establish an endowment with a gift of cash or stock or through a planned gift and name the endowment in honor of an individual or organization. Endowments can support faculty, scholarships, programs or research.
Minimum funding levels for endowments are set by the University’s Endowments policy. As of January 1, 2023, the following describes the minimum required gifts to create new endowments at the University of Arizona. You may increase the impact of any existing endowment with a charitable contribution in any amount.
These are the most common types of endowments at the University of Arizona, but it is possible to create other endowed funds, such as in support of a specific program or for general unrestricted use.
Dean/Director
A minimum gift of $5 million creates and names an endowed dean or director on campus. The payout is used to achieve strategic priorities within the college or unit.
Endowed Chair
A minimum gift of $2 million creates and names an endowed chair in a college or unit. Chairs are held by tenured associate or full professors. The payout can be used to support research expenditures, graduate students or other items of importance to the chairholder.
Endowed Professorship
A minimum gift of $1 million creates and names an endowed professorship, which may be held by any University of Arizona faculty serving in the college or unit of your designation.
Endowed Fellowship
A minimum gift of $500,000 creates an endowed fellowship in the program of your designation and may include a research or teaching assignment if appropriate.
Endowed Scholarship
A minimum of $50,000 establishes an endowed scholarship, awarded to undergraduate or graduate students based on need, academic merit, or other factors.
The University of Arizona Foundation manages endowed funds in accordance with its Investment Policy Statement. Click here to access the most recent Investment Policy Statement.
New endowment gifts are subject to the University of Arizona Development Fund fee, a six percent charge on gifts of $1,000 or more. The fee sustains the growth of philanthropy on campus—four percent is allocated to the Foundation to support centrally managed development activities, 1 percent is allocated to the university president’s development activities and 1 percent goes to the beneficiary college or unit to sustain development activities. The charge applies to the first $3.5 million of a gift. Learn more in UA Financial Policy 8.33.
Endowments Established Before January 1, 2023
The University of Arizona raised the minimum gift levels for new endowments on January 1, 2023. Endowed funds established before this date are not affected by the changes. Donors can grow their legacy by making annual gifts to existing named endowed funds. Use our Giving Search Tool to access the secure online donation page for an endowed fund. If you need assistance locating the donation page for a specific fund, contact Donor Services.