In short, all sorts of things. Most donors want their endowment gifts to be used to fund student scholarships or endowed faculty positions, but other endowments at UCF do things like help pay for maintenance and upgrades to particular facilities, help care for and curate specific artistic and scientific collections, provide monetary awards for exceptional scholarships by students or faculty, provide valuable academic resources for student-athletes, and much more.
CREATE
AN ENDOWMENT
Nationally recognized as a top-ranked public institution, UCF is committed to building the university for the future by unleashing the potential of people and ideas to positively change the world.
Join us and thousands of like-minded UCF donors who recognize the power and promise of higher education. You can make a difference.
Student Scholarships
Scholarships make it possible for students to continue their education when they may not otherwise be able to afford it. They also allow UCF to attract academic superstars.
Knights Athletics
Celebrate the momentum that our athletics teams have built. With your continued support, the best is yet to come. Keep student athletes charging on — inside and outside of class.
Academic Colleges
Put your gift to work by supporting one of our 12 colleges. Ensure students have an engaging and exciting learning environment that drives their ambition and passion.
Student Experience
Promote student involvement on and off campus. With 650+ student clubs and organizations, you can support experiences from career-focused clubs to service learning activities.
INVEST IN
UCF'S FUTURE
Recent News
Kenneth Dixon Pledges $10 Million to Empower UCF Students’ Career Readiness, Elevate Athletics
A transformational $10 million commitment from esteemed alumnus Kenneth Dixon ’75 will significantly enhance UCF’s Career Services and Athletics programs, underscoring Dixon’s enduring dedication to student success and the university’s continued ascent.
New Pegasus Partner Addition Financial Credit Union’s Longtime Generosity Benefits Students, Community
From academics to athletics and students’ wellbeing, Addition Financial Credit Union’s longtime philanthropic support of UCF has made a remarkable impact on campus and in the community.
UCF Foundation Welcomes 5 New Committee Members
The UCF Foundation Board recently appointed five committee advisors to various committees that support the foundation’s mission, values and strategic goals.
Learn more about our 12 colleges
Donor Spotlight
Bianca Deslouches ’11
“We don’t want [access to fewer financial opportunities] to stand in the way of living out the full potential of what was the greatest four years of a learning experience for so many of us.”
Beverly J. Seay
Immediate Past Chair, UCF Board of Trustees
“Contributing to student scholarships means helping [students] succeed on the path to life-changing degrees — and investing in our community, where many of them will pursue their careers and raise their families.”
Leslee A. D’Amato-Kubiet ‘13 PhD
Site Coordinator, UCF Daytona Beach Nursing Program
“Establishing the D’Amato-Kubiet Family Endowed Scholarship makes my soul feel good. It is a joy to give students the opportunity to become professional nurses.”
Rosemary Notarantonio ‘81
“Opportunity lifts the recipient, but it also lifts the entire generation. I hope this [Notarantonio Endowed Nursing] scholarship provides the net for someone to take that leap into a brighter future.”
Jeff Moore
Dean, UCF College of Arts and Humanities
“Contributing to student scholarships means helping [students] succeed on the path to life-changing degrees — and investing in our community, where many of them will pursue their careers and raise their families.”
Amy Fluman Rettig ‘89
“We have made other charitable contributions over the years, but creating the [Fluman-Rettig Scholarship for First-Generation Students] is the most meaningful gift I have ever made in my life. UCF has given me more than I could ever give back.”
Nick Miceli
Regional President for Florida Metro at TD Bank and Board Chair, TD Charitable Foundation
“Green spaces make our communities more vibrant and livable. We are proud to work with UCF to support the UCF Arboretum and its programming.”
Mark Plaumann ’74 ’79 MBA
“I give back so I can continue to open opportunities to generations of students — my passion is to invest in the future through education.”
Thais Lopez Vogel
Co-Founder and Trustee, VoLo Foundation
“We are evolving toward a better future, and with our donations, UCF can continue our shared mission to impact positive change and empowerment through knowledge and opportunity.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an endowment?
Student scholarship and program support endowments begin at $50,000. Donors can meet the minimum contribution requirement with immediate funds, a pledge spread out over five years or less or a planned gift. Once established, any amount can be added to an endowment. The process to establish an endowment is not complicated but is best addressed through one-on-one conversation. For more information about establishing an endowment, please contact us.
What is a university's endowment?
When a donor gives the university an endowment gift for a particular purpose, that gift is placed in a special named account — something like an investment account. When a university says its endowment is a certain amount, it means the total value of all endowment funds.
Why is endowment so important?
A university’s endowment provides a reliable source of funding for scholarships, research, faculty excellence and more. While the spendable amount generated each year may vary slightly, it remains more predictable than other funding sources. That makes the endowment a critical measure of a university’s financial strength. Additionally, funds generated by the endowment provide valuable flexibility, since they can be used in some ways that other revenue — state funding allocations, for example — can’t be. An endowed gift might be used, for instance, to supplement the compensation package for a key faculty position in order to recruit a top scholar in today’s competitive market.
Wouldn't it make more of a difference to give a gift that can be spent?
In the short term, yes. Cash gifts are vitally important and allow the university to meet its most pressing needs. In the long term, though, nothing has the impact of an endowment gift. For example, a $150,000 endowment gift given 30 years ago would have provided $190,000 in scholarships by now and would still have a balance of $185,000.
What are endowments used for?
Explore the possibilities by talking with an Advancement team member today.
MAKE
AN IMPACT
There are many ways to give. Explore more giving options to discover the right fit for you.