Endowment Opportunities
Growing the Endowment, Providing for the Future

Endowments to the University provide perpetual funds for student scholarships, graduate fellowships, faculty support, the library, and a range of programs, facilities, and services. For the University of Rhode Island to thrive in the 21st century, it is essential that we grow the endowment by building a steady and permanent source of funding. Since the principal is never spent, endowments generate earnings year after year.

Faculty Support
Endowments help us to maintain and enhance URI’s tradition of faculty excellence. Examples include the establishment of chairs and professorships intended to recruit and retain accomplished scholars; support for innovative new ideas and projects; and improved classrooms and laboratories.

Scholarships & Fellowships
Private scholarship support remains the key to attracting an outstanding undergraduate student body. A gift of a named scholarship provides financial support to help bright, talented, and committed young people receive an education.

Our graduate programs consistently attract outstanding students whose imagination and discipline contribute much to the research and education at the University. URI must increase its fellowship support to continue to encourage the best students to pursue graduate programs here.

The Library—Technology and Information
The University Library is at the heart of the academic community. Providing essential information sources—books, scholarly journals, electronic databases and images—is a vital contribution to teaching, learning, and research at URI. The gift of a named Library endowment can also provide the resources to acquire and maintain special collections.

College & Department Needs
Many other opportunities are available to meet special college or department needs. The giving level is dependent upon the nature and scope of the donor’s interest. Excellence funds provide a perpetual source of unrestricted funding to meet urgent needs and new challenges as they arise. Endowed Lectures and Lecture Series provide the resources to attract to the University notable experts and leaders to expand the intellectual, cultural, and social horizons of the URI community.