Lasting Impact

CSU Endowments

Endowments empower CSU to take the next step, now.

Endowments provide both immediate and lasting benefits for our campus community. Each year, individual endowment funds are wisely and strategically invested by the Colorado State University Foundation, and a percentage of the total endowment value is used to fund the donor’s intended purpose, whether it be a scholarship, program, research, or any number of other worthy causes. These types of gifts live on in perpetuity, allowing donors to support their areas of passion long after the initial gift. It’s the gift that keeps giving…forever!

“Endowments help me lead my group in exploring creative methods for communicating our science to the world. It is typically very difficult to find funding to try new things, and this endowed funding lets us get creative!”

Elizabeth Barnes, professor, Department of Atmospheric Science, Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

“Endowed scholarships help me financially and assure me I am here for a reason by showing someone believes in me as much as I believe in myself. Thank you!”

Kelly Cruz Arrazola, junior, studying social work and languages, literatures, and cultures

“Endowments are an external expression of an internal motivation—something that all of us who are supported by endowments understand and do our utmost to honor.”

Craig B. Webb, professor, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Endowment Resources

Endowment graphic showing how contributions turn into reinvested returns and payouts
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$25,000 Endowment Minimum

The minimum funding level for an endowment is determined by the endowment’s intended purpose and function and begins at $25,000. The minimum funding can be pledged over five years. In order to make a more immediate impact, donors to pending endowments often make an annual gift to fund their passion areas. Click here to learn more about the many endowment purposes and funding minimums.

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4.25% Annual Payout

The annual payout is determined using the average daily balance of an endowment’s fair market value over the prior 3 calendar years, ending 12/31. Payouts from endowments less than 3 years old are determined using the ADB of the endowment’s FMV over the prior 1 or 2 calendar years, ending 12/31, as appropriate based on the endowment’s open date.

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12/31 Deadline

In order for an endowment to payout the following August, new endowments must be fully funded by December 31.

Please click here to learn more about CSU endowment minimums and here to learn more about CSU gift policies.


Annual Endowment Reporting

The fiscal year for Colorado State University and the CSU Foundation runs from July 1 – June 30. After the financials from the year are audited and approved, each endowment stewardee will receive the annual endowment report, which includes information about their specific endowment, along with performance details of CSU’s overall endowment.

CSU Foundation

The Colorado State University Foundation serves as a proud partner in the smart and strategic investing that multiplies the generosity of CSU donors. During the CSU Foundation’s first 50 years, more than $1 billion of donor philanthropy and managed assets has been transferred to CSU with long-lasting impact on students, teachers and researchers whose lives and work will, in turn, help change the world. Click here to learn more about the work of the CSU Foundation.

The Oval at CSU