Creating an Endowment

Establishing an endowment is a way to perpetually lend your support to Stephen F. Austin State University. Below are some frequently asked questions about endowments and thier establishment.

What is an endowment?
An endowment is a gift made to the SFASU Foundation, Inc. to be held in perpetuity. This means that the gift is invested, and only a portion of its average annual earnings is used for purposes specified by the donor. The remaining investment return is added back to the principle to offset inflation.

How are endowments managed?
The endowment investment policy of the SFASU Foundation, Inc. has a dual goal of preserving the purchasing power of the assets throughout time and providing a stable flow of funds to meet distribution commitments. This, in turn, will allow future generations to benefit from the endowment at the same level as the current generation.

To ensure that an endowment produces sufficient funds in support of a particular area designated by the donor, both now and in the future, the Foundation has established minimum monetary support levels for various types of endowments.

What types of endowments exist?
The following examples include various types of endowment a donor may wish to create:

Faculty Chairs or Professorships (starting at $100,000)
An endowed faculty chair or professorship provides resource funds that distinguish a faculty member’s work, reward achievement in the academic world and enable the professor to pursue new areas of research or innovative teaching methods. This type of endowment allows SFA to attract and retain the finest scholars.

Scholarships (starting at $10,000)
Scholarships enable SFA to attract and provide educational opportunities to many talented and deserving students. Endowed scholarships may be named in honor or memory of someone. Donors may determine the criteria for how the scholarship funds will be awarded whether it is based on financial or academic need.

Lecture Series
Lecture Series provide SFA the opportunity to bring established speakers to campus while enabling students the opportunity to interact with professionals in their field.

Operating Fund
Discretionary funds earmarked for a particular department, college or program at SFA will enable that area of the university to respond to unexpected opportunities and provides a significant level of flexibility to the designated area’s programs.

Can an endowed gift be funded over a period of time?
Endowed gifts can be created up to a a five-year period with the ultimate goal of reaching the minimum level for that particular type of endowment. For instance, it takes $10,000 minimum to endow a scholarship. A donor may opt to pay $2,000 each year for five years to reach the scholarship endowment level. Once the minimum level is reached, additional contributions may be made at any time.

For more information about creating an endowment in support of SFA, please submit your request via our online questions and comments page or contact:

Jill Still
Director of Development
Phone - (936) 468-5406
Toll Free - (800) 319-9517
E-mail - jstill@sfasu.edu

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