Legal Definitions - endow

To endow means to provide a significant gift, typically money or property, with the specific intention that it will generate ongoing financial support or resources for a person, organization, or cause. This type of gift is usually designed to be permanent or long-lasting, ensuring future stability and continued operation.

• Example 1: University Scholarship Fund

  A successful entrepreneur donates $5 million to her alma mater to establish a permanent scholarship fund. The university invests this money, and the annual investment returns are used to provide scholarships to deserving students every year, in perpetuity. By making this donation, the entrepreneur endows the scholarship fund, ensuring that future generations of students will benefit from financial aid.

• Example 2: Community Arts Center

  A local philanthropic foundation grants a substantial sum to a newly built community arts center. This money is set aside in an investment fund, with the understanding that the income generated from it will cover a portion of the center's annual operating costs, such as utility bills and staff salaries, for the foreseeable future. The foundation thus endows the arts center with a stable source of ongoing operational funding.

• Example 3: Wildlife Conservation Trust

  An environmental advocacy group receives a large donation from a private donor specifically to create a fund for purchasing and preserving critical wildlife habitats. The trust invests this money, and the interest earned is used to acquire new land parcels or manage existing protected areas annually. This donation endows the trust with the financial capacity to continue its mission of habitat conservation indefinitely.