An endowment is a donation made with the intention of providing ongoing support. Endowed funds are held by the University in perpetuity, with the expectation that the capital will grow at a rate approximately equal to inflation to maintain its real value and protect against capital erosion. Endowments are also expected to generate enough income to meet their annual funding objectives, which could include awarding annual scholarships to students, offering research support, or facilitating special projects or initiatives.

Giving to an endowment ensures sustainable and meaningful funding for the uOttawa community.

A minimum gift of $30,000 is required to create an endowment fund, although this minimum will vary depending on the purpose of the fund and its intended annual disbursements.

Once a donor has decided to create an endowment and confirmed the initial contribution and purpose, a member of the University’s Advancement team will work with the donor to outline the terms of reference for the fund, which will specify the purpose of the fund and the annual disbursement.

At the end of each fiscal year, the University’s Advancement team will provide the endowment fund initiator or representative with an annual report on their fund’s performance, along with a report on the overall performance of the University of Ottawa endowment.

Did you know that you can also donate to an existing endowment? By supporting an endowment that is already active, your contribution will start making a difference sooner.

As outlined by Policy 111, the expenditure rate is set at 3.5% of the last 12-quarter moving average market value of the endowment fund.

An annual administrative fee of 1% is applied to the University’s endowment fund to support the overall management of the endowment fund.

 

All University of Ottawa endowments are pooled together for investment purposes and follow University Policy 111 – Endowment Funds and its Statement of Investment Policies and Goals. The endowment fund is managed by the University’s Pension Fund and Investment Management Group.

The University of Ottawa’s fiscal year runs from May 1 to April 30.

 

The minimum capital required to create your endowment must be invested for three years before it can generate the full amount of interest needed for disbursement. In addition to attaining the required minimum value in the endowment, the terms of reference must be officially approved for the distribution account to be opened.

The Advancement team receives all financial data on endowment performance by mid-summer. Endowment reports are normally delivered between August and October.

Please download an example of an endowment report (PDF, 227.68 KB).

In order to reduce our environmental footprint, we only provide printed copies of endowment reports to endowment fund initiators or representatives who have no email addresses. Initiators or representatives who receive their endowment report digitally have the option of downloading their endowment report.