Investment Office

Impact

A critical source of funding for the University, Brown’s endowment supports investment in faculty who are pioneering new forms of knowledge and students who will be tomorrow’s leaders.

Breadcrumb

Each year, the Brown endowment contributes essential funds to support the mission of the University. Contributions from the endowment provide approximately 16% of Brown’s overall annual operating budget.

Endowment funds support a wide variety of strategic priorities at Brown, including academic programs, teaching, research and essential support for faculty. However, the single largest use of the endowment on an annual basis is for financial aid. Bringing talented students to campus, regardless of their ability to pay, is essential to sustain the University’s excellence and the distinctive undergraduate education for which Brown is known.

“ Brown’s alumni, parents and friends have made much of what we do possible through their endowed support. ”

Christina H. Paxson President

In 2003, endowed scholarship funds made it possible for Brown to become a “need blind” university that accepts first-year domestic applicants without regard to their family’s financial circumstances. And in 2017, Brown launched The Brown Promise, an initiative that replaced all loans packaged in all undergraduate students’ financial aid packages with scholarships. Made possible through both fundraising and endowed support, becoming a “no loan” University empowers students and alumni to make choices about careers and graduate education that are not influenced by the burden of loan debt.

About a fifth of current endowment spending supports endowed professorships. Endowed professorships not only help finance faculty salaries, but also honor and recognize the experience, expertise and talent of Brown professors. Other endowed funds support the full range of education and research activities; operations and maintenance for academic and residential buildings; diversity and inclusion initiatives; sustainability; and various aspects of the student experience.