If I have made a pledge, what happens to my fund until I make all my pledge payments?

The university has established minimum endowment levels for various types of endowed funds.  Until a donor agreement has been fully executed, gift payments to establish a named fund will be held in an appropriate general endowment account. Once the agreement has been signed by all parties, the gift(s) will be moved to a newly created endowment fund.

Will the university reinvest the payout to help my fund grow?

No; the payout is made annually to each named fund spendable account and the university uses those funds to support scholarships, professorships, programs, etc. specified in the donor agreement. Funds grow through market appreciation as described in the endowment report.

When will my endowed fund begin making distributions in support of my gift’s purpose?

The named endowment fund will receive its first payout during the first fall semester coming 12 months from the date of fulfilling the minimum endowment level, so long as such payout would not place the endowment “underwater”. Payouts are made from net appreciation and may not reduce the principal or corpus of the endowment without prior written donor consent. For example: You have pledged $25,000 to establish a named scholarship fund. You establish the fund in January of 2006 with a check for $10,000. In April 2006, you add a gift of $15,000, which brings the fund to the minimum level for named scholarships. The first student award will be made in the fall of 2007, (12 months from fulfilling the minimum is April 2007 [maturity]; first fall semester following maturity is fall 2007), provided the market value of the endowment exceeds the historical gift value.

How is the payout on my named fund used?

The income generated by endowments allows UNCW to offer scholarships to students, attract the best professors to teach, support programs, and foster research. Each fund’s spendable account is awarded based on the criteria approved by the donor in the donor agreement. The approved percentage rate is calculated and rounded to the nearest $50 and distributed to the appropriate recipient(s) as outlined in the donor agreement. On occasion, an award is not distributed due to unforeseen circumstances (a recipient becomes ineligible due to withdrawal from the university or other circumstances which prevent the student from accepting the funds). In cases where the award cannot be redistributed to a deserving recipient, the funds are held in the spendable account until the next award cycle for distribution.