Establishing Endowments

Endowments support a wide variety of initiatives at The Florida State University — scholarships, fellowships, research studies, professorships, academic chairs, lecture series, library acquisitions, scientific and technical equipment purchases, capital improvements and more.

When an endowment is established, the funds are invested and only the income from the investment is used to support its purpose. This preserves the donor’s original gift in perpetuity, guaranteeing they will have an impact on the university for generations to come.

The minimum size gift to establish an endowment is $25,000, which can be paid over a period of years. Donors may use either outright or deferred gifts to establish named endowed funds.

Endowments can be established in the donor’s name, the name of their business, or in honor of someone important to the donor. Donors can also specify how they would like the income from the endowment to be used. The FSU Foundation works with each donor to prepare guidelines for the administration of each named endowed fund. Guideline length and degree of specificity depend upon the donor's wishes and particular circumstances.