Endowment Research

What is an Endowment?

A UNT Foundation endowment is one of the most impactful gifts you can make. When you establish an endowment, your gift is invested—alongside many others—in the Foundation’s investment pool. The principal amount (or corpus) remains intact, generating a stable annual return that supports the impact area you choose to designate.

Your endowment gift secures UNT’s future—supporting students, strengthening stability, and fueling a lasting legacy of impact.

Endowments – FAQ’s

The UNT Foundation team, Board of Directors and Investment Committee are comprised of donors, alumni and professionals who use their expertise in accounting, investments and higher education finance to provide governance and oversight.

UNT Foundation manages several types of endowments:

  • Permanent Endowments – Typically last in perpetuity; the principal is never spent, and distributions come from investment returns.
  • Term Endowments – Provide funding for time-sensitive projects and must be spent within a specified period.
  • Quasi-Endowments – Function like permanent endowments, but the principal can be accessed under certain conditions.

Yes. You can direct gifts to a particular cause, such as for a specific major or program. The UNT Foundation drafts a gift agreement outlining the purpose, schedule and administration of your gift.

  • Cash
  • Securities (stocks, bonds, mutual funds)
  • Real Estate
  • Other Real property
  • Endowed gifts can be paid over five years and are tax deductible as allowed by law.

  • Gift Agreement – For gifts of $30,000+, a formal agreement documents your gift, intent, form and administration.
  • Convert to Cash – Non-cash gifts (e.g., securities, real estate) undergo special processing and are converted to cash to increase the endowment.
  • Deposit in Account – Gifts are deposited into an endowed account per the donor’s intent.
  • Gift Receipt – You receive an acknowledgement and tax-deductible receipt if applicable.
  • Disbursement – One an endowment reaches $30,000; it begins distributing funds in the following quarter. Currently, distributions are 3.75% of the 12-quarter rolling average balance, ensuring stable support.
  • Future Additions – You can make additional contributions at any time.

Yes. A small administrative fee is applied to support investment management, accounting and fund administration.

The market can be volatile, and the UNT Foundation mitigates risk through a diversified investment portfolio. If an endowment’s principal falls below its original value (an “underwater endowment”), the Texas Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (TUPMIFA) allows a temporary reduction in distributions to help the endowment (corpus) recover.

Each calendar year, you will receive an endowment report detailing investment performance, fund distributions and overall impact.