Endowed Gifts

UC San Diego’s generous donors are essential to supporting critical programs and the recruitment and retention of promising students and distinguished faculty. The permanent and sustained nature of endowed gifts makes them uniquely impactful by benefiting people and programs now and creating a stable foundation for planning and future growth.

An endowed fund is created with a gift that is held and invested in perpetuity by The Regents of the University of California and the UC San Diego Foundation to generate a permanent expendable income stream for a purpose of the donor’s choosing. The total return earned by the endowed fund, less the payout provided for the designated purpose, is retained in the principal of the endowed fund to protect the fund from the effects of inflation and to allow for growth.

A variety of naming gift opportunities exist across campus to honor and recognize donors who support our students, faculty, programs and research. To learn more about endowed gifts or making other contributions to advance our important work, explore the below information or contact us at giving@ucsd.edu or 858-246-2400.

Student and Postdoctoral/Posteducational Scholar Support

Named Endowed Postdoctoral / Posteducational Scholar Support

Health Sciences Fellowship Fund: $750,000 minimum (Health Sciences Professional Schools*)

Postdoctoral Scholar Fellowship Fund: $500,000 minimum (General Campus)

Postdoctoral and posteducational fellowships recognize promising scholars as they pursue the final stage of education, conducting clinical care, field work and research in partnership with established faculty. Support of postdoctoral and posteducational scholar fellows expands options for promising scholars and strengthens resources for their labs.

* Health Sciences Professional Schools encompasses UC San Diego School of Medicine, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science.

Named Endowed Graduate Student Support

Fellowship Fund: $250,000 minimum (General Campus)

Scholarship Fund: $250,000 minimum (Health Sciences Professional Schools*)

Recruiting and retaining the most competitive graduate students is a strategic priority for UC San Diego. Graduate students conduct original research in pursuit of solutions to some of today’s most pressing challenges. They mentor undergraduates and collaborate with principal investigators, energizing connections between faculty and learners at all levels. And they pursue innovative research that contributes to improved quality of life for every member of our community, here in San Diego and beyond. Fellowships and graduate scholarships strengthen UC San Diego’s ability to compete with peer institutions for the best graduate students.

Named fellowships and graduate scholarships recognize your investment in graduate students and the future of UC San Diego. With each fellowship or graduate scholarship awarded through an endowed fund, this gift and your name will become synonymous with the talent and contributions of our graduate students.

Named Endowed Undergraduate Student Support

Scholarship Fund: $50,000 minimum

Central to our mission of creating the next generation of innovators and leaders is our commitment to ensuring that learning is accessible and aff ordable for all. A scholarship can be the deciding factor in whether or not an outstanding student chooses to attend UC San Diego. The range of an endowed scholarship’s impact is unlimited, providing financial support in perpetuity for many students. With each scholarship awarded through the endowed fund, your gift and name will be forever associated with unlocking the promise of possibility for our undergraduates.

Named Endowed Graduate and Undergraduate Student Awards and Prizes

Award Fund: $25,000 minimum

By naming an endowed student award fund, you recognize the accomplishments of current graduate or undergraduate students in a variety of areas, including academics, athletics, research and service.

Endowed Chairs and Faculty/Other Leadership Support

Named Endowed Chairs

Administrative Endowed Chair: $3,000,000 minimum (Academic Leadership: All Schools)

Faculty Endowed Chair: $2,000,000 minimum (Health Sciences Professional Schools* and Scripps Institution of Oceanography)

Faculty Endowed Chair: $1,000,000 minimum (General Campus)

An administrative endowed chair is the campus’s highest distinction, used to reward and recognize senior faculty, signifying leadership in their field and their important role in our campus community. Gifts to establish administrative endowed chairs enhance the attractiveness and academic prestige of an administrative position for a distinguished scholar.

Faculty endowed chairs provide a dedicated, ongoing source of funds for the chair-holder’s scholarly activities, faculty salaries and graduate fellowships.

Named Endowed Faculty Support

Faculty Fellowship: $500,000 minimum

Junior Faculty Fellowship: $300,000 minimum

Scholar- or Artist-in-Residence: $250,000 minimum

Faculty fellowships support UC San Diego’s commitment to attract and retain established ladder-rank scholars at the associate professor level or above by providing them annually with funds to be used in teaching, research and other activities.

Junior faculty fellowships recognize promising scholars early in their careers at the assistant professor level or above, by providing them annually with funds to be used in teaching, research and other activities. Support of faculty early in their career has an immense impact, helping them build a research and publication record which they may leverage for extramural support.

A scholar- or artist-in-residence endowed fund supports the salary and activities of a visiting scholar, lecturer or artist, allowing them to share their expertise with our campus community and inspire the next generation of innovators and creators.

Non-Academic Leadership Support

Named Endowed Program Directorship: $500,000 minimum

A position-based endowed fund allows UC San Diego to attract and retain non-academic leadership in support of programmatic or departmental goals and to bring internationally recognized thought leaders to share their experience and expertise with the campus community.

Research, Lecture and Library Support

Named Endowed Research Fund, Lecture and Library Fund

Named Endowed Research Fund: $250,000 minimum

Named Endowed Lecture or Colloquium Fund: $150,000 minimum

Named Endowed Library Fund: $10,000 minimum

Research stands at the heart of UC San Diego’s effort to make our world a better place. Endowed research funds may be created to support undergraduate or graduate student research programs or to recognize and sustain faculty research, which can help up-and-coming scholars uncover groundbreaking new ideas.

Endowed lecture and colloquium funds provide perpetual support for campus departments and programs to host lecture series on a wide range of topics and focus areas that introduce our campus to diverse perspectives.

Endowed library funds provide ongoing support for library and collection needs at UC San Diego, reinforcing our campus’s repository of knowledge and preserving resources for future generations.

Programmatic and Capital Project Support

Innovative Programs

Gifts in support of new and existing programs help to sustain UC San Diego’s commitment to the teaching, research and public service mission of the university. Naming recognition and other commemorative opportunities for donors who seek to support particular programs are available at a range of levels.

Capital Investments

Gifts to support infrastructure and facilities ensure that UC San Diego is prepared to meet the evolving needs of students, faculty, staff and community members. Investment in student housing, academic and medical buildings, and cultural and community facilities will contribute to a vibrant and inclusive living and learning environment. A wide range of naming recognition and other commemorative opportunities at various levels are available across campus.