Creating an Endowment

When your donation is endowed, it is invested under the regulations set by Acadia University and the investment income produced can be directed to the area of your choice. Simply put, endowments are gifts that keep on giving.

 Many donors choose to endow a scholarship, bursary or academic program in the name of a loved one who has passed away.  The Acadia Endowment creates more than a legacy.  Year after year, decade after decade, the original endowed gift continues making a difference at Acadia.There are more than 500 endowments in place at Acadia at the present time; a list of these is available upon request from the Office of Advancement.  To establish a new endowment, a gift of $25,000 or more is suggested.

Building an endowment is an excellent way to carry on a family tradition, to honour a family member or friend or to encourage generosity of future generations.

Many naming opportunities are available to you including naming an endowment. Often people choose to name endowments after their friends, family and loved ones to ensure that their legacy lives on through Acadia University.

To find out more about the policies governing named endowments and how you can build an endowment please contact the Office of Advancement.

Investment Policy

The endowments of the University are governed by the Board of Governors.  Please click here to view the investment policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of an Endowment?

Giving to Acadia is an excellent way in which you can tangibly impact the quality of education that we offer.  While all gifts to Acadia contribute to the high quality of education, research, and out-reach, endowments are particularly meaningful as they offer a perpetual source of funding.  When a benefactor donates, the goal is to invest for the long-term, generating annual distributions while preserving the principal of the investment.

Some endowed gifts are designated for a specific purpose, such as student scholarships, research programs or professorships.  Other gifts are unrestricted and become part of the larger Endowment, generating funds to support a wide range of programs and activities across the University.

Endowments provide a permanent partnership between the University and the donor.  The legacy of thoughtful donors plays a role in the life of the University in perpetuity.  The generosity of Acadia’s many endowment donors is appreciated by generations past, present and future.

How does capital preservation work?

The concept of capital preservation is central to managing an endowment.  A prudent portion of annual investment earnings is spent to meet certain clearly defined needs of the University community.  The remainder is continually added back to the capital base, protecting against inflation so that the donation retains or increases its purchasing power over time, thereby ensuring annual distributions equally benefitting existing and future generations of faculty and students.

How does the endowment grow?

The generosity of Acadia alumni, faculty, students, parents and friends together created Acadia’s Endowment. While every donation to Acadia is gratefully appreciated, endowed gifts have a particularly enduring impact.  A century from now, and as the principal grows through investment earnings, students will continue to benefit.