Make a Gift Endowment

Endowment Funds at Westmont

Westmont’s endowment provides a permanent source of funding for the college and supports operating expenses, scholarships, facilities, chairs and programming. Some endowment funds honor the memory or contributions of special individuals.

The college manages its endowment in accordance with the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA) as enacted by the state of California. As the name suggests, UPMIFA specifies that endowment investment and spending be governed prudently. UPMIFA also requires preserving the fair value of the original endowment gift.

In order to protect the long-term strength of your endowment gifts, the amount of Westmont’s endowment spent each year is set at 5 percent of the average endowment market value over the previous 12 quarters, which is determined at the beginning of each calendar year. This strategy allows us to maintain stable spending levels in spite of challenging financial markets. It also provides an opportunity for growth in the endowment’s market value so that spending levels grow over time, either keeping pace with or outpacing the rate of inflation.

We’re grateful for the generosity of alumni, parents and friends of the college who support Westmont’s mission of cultivating thoughtful scholars, grateful servants and faithful leaders for global engagement with the academy, church, and world through their contributions to the endowment.

Please note: Students and parents who wish to find out more about receiving scholarship aid at Westmont are invited to apply for financial aid through the Office of Financial Aid.

Giving to the Westmont College Endowment

If you would like to support the general endowment fund, you may give online. Click here to go to the Online Donation Form. If you choose Other on this form, please type Endowment to support the general fund, or the name of a specific endowment you would like to support. Lists of endowments are found under Where to Give / Endowments on other pages of this site.

Or send a check with Endowment written in the memo line to:
Westmont College
Office of College Advancement
955 La Paz Road
Santa Barbara, CA 93108-1089

How to Establish a Named Endowed Fund

To establish an endowment named after an individual, please contact Sandi White at swhite@westmont.edu or phone 805-565-6833. To fund an endowment named for an individual through a bequest, please contact Kati Buehler, senior director of gift planning, at kbuehler@westmont.edu or phone 805-565-6883. Named endowments require a minimum amount of funding.

Minimum Amounts Required to Name an Endowed Fund Endowed Named Scholarship $50,000: Endowed scholarships are fully funded within five years. The scholarship is named once the donor gives $10,000 toward the endowment. This amount must be reached by the end of the calendar year in order to be named the following academic year. Endowed Chair Program or Institute: To find out about minimums for funding a new endowed chair, program or institute, please contact Sandi White or Kati Buehler.