The purpose of Dickinson’s endowment is to provide a dependable source of income to support the needs of Dickinson College today and in the future. Charitable gifts invested with Dickinson’s pooled endowment are managed with two main objectives:
- to provide a predictable stream of income to support the purpose of your designated fund; and
- to ensure that your historic gift (the fund principal) grows at a rate that maintains its value over time accounting for inflation.
The fund principal is not spent. Income to the college is provided through investment returns on the gift principal over time. To manage volatility, the spending rate is calculated on a 12-quarter moving average of the endowment’s fair market value. The current effective annual spendable rate of Dickinson’s endowment is 4.25%.
Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, Investure is the investment office for Dickinson College and a select group of other non-profit colleges and foundations. Investure is a recognized leader in the endowment and foundation investment management industry. Participating in a pool of this size provides Dickinson with extraordinarily broad diversification and access to investment opportunities.
Donors who establish endowed funds are offered the opportunity to name the fund. The name of the fund is recorded and maintained in the college’s endowment book and donors receive an annual report from the college that shares financial information and describes the impact of the fund and in the case of scholarship funds, the name(s) of the current recipient(s).
Learn more about the impact of scholarship giving through the Campaign for Scholarships: Change a Life—Change the World.