UW Foundation

Endowments

When a donor creates an endowed fund, generations to come benefit from their commitment and generosity.

Endowments provide a firm foundation of assets that are held in perpetuity, the payout of which creates a steady stream of income to fund those purposes chosen by the donor. This income provides an invaluable contribution over and above the baseline of support from the State of Wyoming, elevating the margin of excellence for UW. Individual endowments from alumni, corporations, foundations, and other generous parties are pooled into an endowment fund.

The purpose of the endowment fund is then to make consistent contributions to campus operations and programs designed to benefit students, faculty, and programs. Every year, in accordance with its payout policy, the UW Foundation distributes millions of dollars from endowments to the university for expenditures such as student assistance, faculty support, library acquisitions, academic program support, facilities, and building and equipment purchases and maintenance.  

Endowment Pool Performance

The market value of the endowment portfolio as of June 30, 2023, was $789.5 million, edging toward a billion dollars. 

Disbursements from the endowment to the university totaled $37.1 million. This disbursement only includes dollars from gifts that are in the endowment portfolio and does not include gifts that came to the foundation designated for use as expendable funds. It does include facilities projects.