Endowment FAQs

While gifts of any amount are of great value, an endowed fund provides ongoing annual support to the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (UNTHSC), serving the institution’s needs and the donors passions forever. Each year, 4% of the endowment goes directly to scholarships, programs and activities as designated by donors. This conservative annual withdrawal ensures that the corpus of the endowment will never disappear – benefitting UNTHSC forever.

Institutions and individuals have many ways to create an endowment, including giving cash, pledges, securities, retirement plan assets, and bequests.  The establishment of funds are by an initial gift or pledge paid over a period of five years. The UNTHSC Foundation spending’s policy disperses 4% of the rolling 12-quarter average of fair market value of the fund.

Endowments can be established for one or more specific purposes as directed by the donor or for unrestricted general support. Typically, endowed funds support student scholarships, programs, research and facilities.

Generally, institutions establish minimum gift levels for endowments.  At UNTHSC Foundation, the minimum gifts to establish endowments are:

• Endowed Scholarship – minimum of $25,000 | To provide an annual award to a deserving student(s) based on criteria including, but not limited to, academic achievement or financial need.

DID YOU KNOW? The average institutional unmet need of a student is nearly $20,000.  This refers to unmet need after the student has been awarded federal aid (federal grants and student loans).  The first year of investment for an endowed scholarship can award $1,000.

• Endowed Fund – minimum of $25,000 | To provide an annual payout to a department or school to pay for travel opportunities, research, supplies and equipment, software or hardware, and other expenses. These funds should not pay for tuition, books or fees of students.

• Endowed Professorship – minimum of $1,500,000 | To provide supplemental salary to retain and recruit the best faculty. Funds can be used for travel opportunities, research, supplies and equipment, and graduate student stipends.

• Endowed Chair – minimum of $2,000,000 | To provide supplemental salary to retain and recruit the best faculty. Funds can be used for travel opportunities, research, supplies and equipment, and graduate student stipends.

• Distinguished Endowed Chair – minimum of $2,500,000 | To provide supplemental salary to retain and recruit the best faculty. Funds can be used for travel opportunities, research, supplies and equipment, and graduate student stipends.

As a donor, you should have high expectations.

The following Donor Bill of Rights was created by the Giving Institute, Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. It’s a helpful guide to determine if you are being treated fairly and respectfully for your generous grants and contributions.

The Donor Bill of Rights

Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To ensure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the nonprofit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:

• To be informed of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes
• To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization’s governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities
• To have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements
• To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given
• To receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition
• To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law
• To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature
• To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors
• To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share
• To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers