Total Endowment includes pooled investments, FHITBO, annuity investments, pledges receivable and other assets. (NACUBO value includes pooled and FHITBO investments only.)

The endowment is a pool of funds that are either gifted to the college or created through budget surpluses and invested with the goal of making these funds last in perpetuity.

Endowment Growth

Thanks to a dramatic increase in endowed giving coupled with effective investment strategies, Dickinson’s endowment has more than doubled since 2003. The college’s total return on its endowment in the last fiscal year, in fact, was in the top 15 percent in the nation—placing it among such institutions as Princeton and Harvard. But what’s even more impressive than this growth is the endowment’s impact.

Endowment Impact

• 14 new endowed faculty chairs
• 52 new endowed scholarships
• an “A” credit rating from Standard & Poor’s
• more than $10 million toward the college’s annual operating budget

Because endowed gifts are invested rather than spent, their impact is permanent and far reaching. Those endowed faculty chairs and scholarships will always be a part of the college. The improved credit rating will allow Dickinson to fund future building projects through responsible borrowing without depleting its investments. Funds from the endowment can increasingly support the college’s annual budget while the endowment itself continues to grow.

The First in America campaign has received more than $65 million toward the endowment. To reach its goals, the campaign needs another $25 million in endowed gifts. As the endowment continues to grow, those gifts will do much more than make the campaign a success. Long after the campaign is over, they’ll still be giving to the college, supporting Dickinsonians for generations to come.