Endowment Stewardship
The UB Foundation is proud to manage a sizable endowment on behalf of the university. This endowment — which consists primarily of funds donated for the betterment of UB through the years — is designed to support the UB community in perpetuity by providing a long-term source of expendable funds for UB students, faculty and staff.
What is an endowment?
Endowments are primarily privately donated funds provided by donors to be invested and held in perpetuity, providing guaranteed income to support various areas throughout the university. Endowments help supplement and protect against declines in other revenues such as tuition, fees and state appropriations. Endowments allow for continued university support, including chairs and professorships; student scholarships, awards, internships and learning opportunities; research opportunities; specialized lectures; study-abroad opportunities; acquisitions for the libraries; classrooms and labs; athletics facilities; community engagement; emergency reserves and more.
An exponential impact at UB — and around the world
The endowment is a critical funding source for the university, ensuring the availability of resources for years to come, and allowing for countless enhancements that help make UB a premier, research-intensive public university. Through the endowment, the UB Foundation provides:
- Professorships and chairs for world-renowned faculty
- Scholarships to recruit and retain talented students with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds
- Life-saving research
- World-class library collections
- Teaching excellence awards
- Specialized laboratories
- Performing arts experiences
- Athletics support
- Public outreach
- Improvements throughout the physical campus
Committed to growing the endowment for
the betterment of UB
Within the endowment, hundreds of funds — and hundreds of millions of dollars — directly support student scholarships, fellowships, awards and other key initiatives.
Donor-Designated Purpose of Endowment Funds
- Chairs and Professors
- Academic Units
- Research
- Scholarships
- Academic/Student Excellence
- Other
A long history of competitive returns
For more than 50 years, the endowment has provided UB with a relatively predictable, constant and stable source of funds. By using successful long-term investment strategies, our investment committee and full-time staff focus on maximizing the total investment return while preserving the inflation-adjusted purchasing power of the portfolio. This approach enables us to consistently produce appropriate returns, even as the endowment value fluctuates due to ever-changing market conditions. In keeping with best practices, only the returns on the principal are made available for spending; the endowment principal is protected and invested in order to ensure the buying power stays consistent over the years.
Managed in accordance with each donor’s wishes
At the UB Foundation, we are grateful for the generosity of donors, and proud to serve as responsible stewards of the endowment. We strive to meet the intent of each and every donor, communicate with them in a way that is consistent with best practices, and honor their wishes in perpetuity.
How to measure an endowment
The full worth of an endowment cannot be measured in terms of yield, value-to-expenditure or other financial metrics. The real value of an endowment depends on how well it is managed, and — perhaps most importantly — the vast, ongoing benefits that it provides for the community, and for society as a whole.
Frequently asked questions
To learn more about the endowment, please see our Frequently Asked Questions.