UO Foundation Endowment Tops $400 Million

Farsighted donors and excellent investment returns boosted the total endowment managed by the University of Oregon Foundation past $400 million in April for the first time ever. The size of the endowment depends on the value of endowment gifts made by donors, on how much the foundation distributes to the university each year for designated purposes, and on how well the foundation’s investments perform each year.

Donors to the university’s $600-million fundraising initiative, Campaign Oregon, have made more than $132 million worth of endowment gifts and pledges as part of the $517 million total raised as of the end of May. Instead of being spent right away, endowment gifts are invested to maintain their purchasing power in perpetuity, with 4 percent spent each year for their designated purposes.

The UO Foundation receives, invests, and disburses private gifts made to the university. For the past five years, foundation investment returns have ranked in the top 15 percent of the more than 700 colleges and universities belonging to the National Association of College and University Business Officers. (See table at right for foundation returns compared to benchmarks over the past decade).

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