Creating an Endowment

UAB's future strength depends on building a solid foundation today. Learn how your gift can benefit the university indefinitely.

UAB is one of the country's preeminent research universities. As state assistance shrinks and the costs of higher education rise, private support becomes critical to the university's growth and ability to maintain its standards of excellence. The generosity of our donors has nourished UAB and made possible extraordinary achievements in teaching, research, and public service.

Benefit to UAB
Endowments are long-term investments in the university, held in perpetuity. They provide benefits such as scholarships and support funds to students and faculty year after year, generation after generation. Because the gift principal is invested and only a portion of the income is spent, a donor who creates an endowed gift today can be confident that it will grow and continue to support UAB in the years to come.

Benefit to Donor
As with any gift to UAB, an endowed gift offers donors the opportunity to have their names, or the name of a loved one, linked to an area of the university in which they have a special interest. Contributions to endowments can be made over a period of five years and are tax deductible.

Types of Endowments
There are many types of endowments from which to choose. Some donors create unrestricted endowments, recognizing that the needs and challenges of the future will differ from those of today. Unrestricted gifts are used for the highest priority needs on campus and provide flexibility as these needs change.

Other donors choose to direct their gifts to programs of special concern to them, knowing that these additional funds provide an opportunity for those programs to grow and excel. Some donors choose to endow a chair or professorship in the academic discipline that inspired them as students. Many donors create undergraduate scholarships or graduate fellowships to aid deserving students. Others choose to support medical research in areas of particular importance to them.

For questions about endowments and other giving options, please e-mail Daphne B. Powell, Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or call (205) 934-1807.