Endowments

What is an endowment?

An endowment is a permanent fund that helps carry forward your philanthropic goals, impacting the community for years to come. The principal amount remains untouched and accrues interest while annual distributions provide dependable resources to educate health leaders, advance groundbreaking research, and deliver exceptional patient care.

View all endowments

Education endowments

• Scholarships

  For many students, obtaining a health education lies beyond their financial means or comes with significant debt. Endowed scholarships open doors of opportunity, enabling students to pursue their education with less financial stress. Scholarships also give UTHealth Houston a competitive edge in attracting the brightest minds to study in our labs, care for our patients, and serve our communities.

  Endowed scholarships begin at $50,000.

  View scholarship endowments

• Fellowships

  Graduate fellowships empower graduate and postdoctoral students to further their understanding of complex material and expand the boundaries of knowledge. Faculty fellowships support highly qualified professionals as they enhance their teaching capabilities, develop their scholarly work, and accomplish institutional goals.

  Endowed fellowships for academic development begin at:

  $50,000 for graduate fellowship

  $250,000 for a faculty fellowship

  View fellowship endowments

Faculty endowments

• Professorships

  Academic endowments serve as powerful recruitment and retention tools, recognizing top-performing faculty who are pushing the boundaries of innovation and excellence in teaching. Professorships recognize rising stars who have demonstrated early excellence in their careers. In addition to the prestige of holding a named appointment, faculty members benefit from annual distributions that help advance priorities, such as upgrading research and teaching equipment, enabling innovative academic pursuits, or attending scientific and academic conferences.

  Endowments to support our faculty begin at:

  • $500,000 for a professorship
  • $1,000,000 for a distinguished professorship

  View professorships View distinguished professorships
• Chairs

  Chairs are the most prestigious endowed positions at UTHealth Houston and are bestowed upon outstanding department leaders and senior faculty members. This honor serves as a great incentive when attracting high-caliber educators and researchers for leadership positions at the university.

  Elevated endowments to our faculty begin at:

  • $2,000,000 for a chair
  • $3,000,000 for a distinguished chair

  View chairs View distinguished chairs

Other endowments

• Lecture series

  Lecture series enable us to invite prominent clinicians and researchers from around the world to share their expertise with our students, faculty, residents, and fellows. This discourse keeps our schools at the forefront of health science developments, encourages productive dialogue, and enhances the university’s reputation.

  Endowments to establish a lecture series begin at $50,000.

  View lecture series

• Awards and special funds

  Endowed awards and special funds are vital tools for the university. They enrich the educational experience of students, recognize the achievements of outstanding faculty, and provide programs for underserved populations. These funds can also support research by providing dependable resources to launch creative initiatives, bridge gaps between grants, and conduct pilot studies to attract funding from outside organizations such as the National Institutes of Health.

  Endowments for awards and special funds begin at $50,000.

  View awards and special funds

Frequently asked questions

• Why should I establish an endowment?

  Throughout your life, you may have interacted with a compassionate nurse or physician who cared for you or a family member, or have been the recipient of a new treatment. You may wish to acknowledge moments like these by establishing an endowment to spark medical breakthroughs, address public health concerns, or provide much-needed scholarship support for future generations of educators, practitioners, and scientists.

• How do endowments strengthen UTHealth Houston?

  Endowments are critical to the university’s continued growth and success, generating dependable income that is reinvested in our students, faculty, and programs. We can plan for the future with confidence knowing that these resources will provide consistent support regardless of external circumstances.

• What are the minimum requirements for establishing an endowment?

  Depending on the purpose, you may create an endowment for a minimum of $50,000, payable within five years. In your gift agreement, you will specify how you would like the funds to be used. Once the endowment is established, you or anyone else may make additional contributions.

• How does UTHealth Houston grow endowments?

  UTHealth Houston endowments are managed by The University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Management Company (UTIMCO), a nonprofit organization that oversees investments for The University of Texas and Texas A&M Systems. UTIMCO invests most endowments in its Long Term Fund, which is designed to preserve the future purchasing power of the endowment.

  As managers of the largest public endowment fund in the country, UTIMCO focuses on delivering consistent and exceptional long-term investment returns. The company adheres to a “constant growth” policy that allows distributions to grow at a steady rate equal to the rate of inflation. This provides a stable stream of resources that allows UTHealth Houston to preserve the donor’s vision even in years when investment returns fall below the targeted rate.

• What is the difference between “book” value and “market” value?

  The book value of an endowment represents all contributions, reinvested income, and any realized gains or losses attributable to the sale of an investment held in the endowment. The market value is the prevailing price of an investment in an actively traded market.