Lasting Impact

CSU Endowments

Endowments ensure a bright future for CSU.

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!

“Thanks to generosity like yours, our researchers have the tools, technology, and equipment they need to create the cancer treatments of tomorrow. Your endowed gifts make it possible for our scientists to discover better treatments, and hopefully, one day, find a cure.”

Dr. Susan Lana, Flint Animal Cancer Center

“Endowments remind us that the community supports and values our work. They give us the tools to provide information that expands and enhances expertise across the community, empowering more citizens to contribute to building a better Colorado and world.”

Randyn Heisserer-Miller, University Libraries

“Your support gives me hope as I navigate higher education’s complexities and the future’s uncertainty. Endowed scholarships help me focus on my studies and utilize CSU’s resources and opportunities.”

Junior Martin, Computer Sciences Student

Endowment Resources

Endowment graphic showing how contributions turn into reinvested returns and payouts
Pillars icon

$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.

Percentage icon

4.0% 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. The 4.0% payout is effective Jan. 1, 2024, for FY2025.

Calendar icon

12/31 Deadline

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

Learn more about CSU endowment minimums and 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.

Cover image for 2023 CSU endowment report
2023 Endowment Report
Cover image of 2022 endowment report
2022 Endowment Report
Cover image of 2021 endowment report
2021 Endowment Report
Cover image of 2020 endowment report
2020 Endowment Report

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.

Learn more about the CSU Foundation.

The Oval at CSU