Your giving. Your impact.
When you invest in Augsburg, you’re not just supporting a university. You’re making a difference in students’ lives. Your gift creates opportunities for all of our students to earn an award worthy education — undergraduate and graduate, current and future — to discover and develop their talents and vocation, new perspectives and ideas, and a world of possibilities.
Below you will find impact statistics from the 2020-2021 school year.
- 100% of full-time Day undergraduates received institutional aid
- 435 Augsburg students received support from endowed funds sponsored by donors
- $32,448 is the average amount of institutional aid full-time Day undergraduates received
- $6,847 is the average tuition Day undergraduates paid out of pocket per semester after institutional aid
- 317 donor-funded scholarships available at Augsburg
- $42 million awarded in institutional grants and scholarships
- 655 Alumni, Parents, and Friends contributed to endowed funds in the 2020-2021 school year
Endowment Market Value
- 2007: $32.4 million
- 2008: $31.5 million
- 2009: $24.5 million
- 2010: $28.2 million
- 2011: $33.3 million
- 2012: $29.8 million
- 2013: $34.6 million
- 2014: $38.3 million
- 2015: $40.5 million
- 2016: $39.4 million
- 2017: $43.9 million
- 2018: $48.1 million
- 2019: $49.6 million
- 2020: $59.0 million
- 2021: $63.0 million
- 2022: $71.1 million
What is an endowment?
“Endowment” is a term applied to a collection of individual funds pooled together for investment purposes to provide annual financial support for all that the university does — teaching, research, financial aid, building and grounds maintenance, etc. Endowment refers to assets that are invested in perpetuity, unlike expendable funds which are typically used for current-year needs.
Endowment funds are opportunities for donors to provide a meaningful foundation of support for students today, tomorrow, and into the future. At Augsburg, we think of it as the seed that anchors a strong, thriving, and fruitful mission. Once a gift is given, it’s invested to generate growth and income. Every year, as the long-term, interest-earning investment in Augsburg’s future grows, a percentage (the fruit of that investment) is granted to students in the form of scholarships.
Most endowments are not, as many may think, a single “pot” of money that can be used as the university wishes. In fact, a college’s endowment is not one fund, but a collection of funds, many of which are named for donors and designated for specific purposes. Endowed funds are established according to the donor’s interests, with stipulations about how and for what purpose the income may be used, as specified by the donor.
WhY endowments?
Endowment funds provide a steady, predictable source of income over time. This predictable income (a draw of a percentage of the value of the funds) offers stability against downturns in the economy or fluctuations in the political or regulatory climate, which allows the university to make multi-year commitments and build programs.
Through endowment resources, activities can be supported that might not otherwise have had a chance to exist. Faculty members who hold endowed professorships — faculty appointments supported by annual funding from an endowment gift — benefit from opportunities for enhanced teaching and research and increased prestige. An Endowed Director is seen as a primary conduit to deliver this commitment through curriculum development, deployment of new learning technologies, and by being the primary spokesperson for the program with the external community. And students benefit from the scholarships, fellowships, and excellent teaching, programs, and research initiatives that endowment support helps make possible.
A strong endowment is a key indicator of the financial strength of an institution. It provides a reliable source of income in perpetuity. The fund that generates income for its mission today can produce income for the same mission 20 years from now. It lays a foundation that makes it possible for Augsburg to plan and steward resources with excellence, weather economics ups and downs with grace, and innovate for years to come.
How does the endowment support Augsburg?
Augsburg’s main sources of income are tuition revenue, grants, and private support, which includes new gifts as well as the annual draw from the endowment funds. A strong endowment allows Augsburg faculty and administrators to pursue critical initiatives that enhance our ability to be a leader in higher education. In addition to providing stability for the future, endowment gifts help us attract and retain top faculty and students.
who benefits?
A scholarship — the fruit of your investment — is:
- Drawing future students with special gifts that will enrich the student community
- Rewriting the narrative for students who thought a private education was out of reach
- Lessening (or eliminating) the liability of taking on school debt
- Lightening the load and eliminating distraction for scholars who may have had to take on extra jobs to make ends meet