Named Gifts/Restricted Funds

Establishing and naming a restricted fund can be a special way to honor or memorialize a loved one’s interests or accomplishments, honor a former student and/or faculty member, or encourage students in a particular academic area.

We welcome donations to establish and name new restricted funds as well as donations of any size in support of already existing restricted funds.

• Gifts of less than $10,000 may be made in support of existing restricted funds.
• Gifts of $10,000 or more may be used to establish new, temporarily restricted scholarships, awards, prizes, internships, travel funds, research fellowships, or departmental discretionary funds. The total balance in a fund may be available for current use.
• Gifts of $25,000 or more may be permanently restricted for awards, prizes, internships, travel funds, research fellowships, or departmental discretionary funds. Permanently restricted funds are housed at the Brooklyn College Foundation in perpetuity.
• Gifts of $100,000 or more may be used to support a wide range of naming opportunities, including scholarships, professorships, endowed chairs, and presidential scholarships, which are prestigious awards reserved for the most exemplary academic achievers.

To establish a restricted fund or to support an already existing fund at the foundation, contact Emily Mitra Moqtaderi, managing director, Campaign and Leadership Gifts, 718.951.5000, ext. 2236.

Guidelines for Naming a Restricted Fund

Temporarily Restricted (TR)

Temporarily Restricted (TR) funds may be established with gifts of $10,000 or more. TR funds are not invested with the Foundation’s endowment, and thus, do not exist in perpetuity. It is the policy of the Brooklyn College Foundation that each TR fund has a shelf-life of five years, meaning the fund must be spent-down or endowed at $25,000 within five years of its inception. Funds from a TR fund may be used immediately for the purpose of the fund. Gifts of $10,000 or more may be used to finance the following:

• Scholarships
• Awards
• Departmental / Programmatic Funds

Endowed Funds

Endowed (or permanently restricted) funds may be established with gifts of $25,000 or more. Endowed scholarships require a minimum investment of $100,000. Endowed funds are pooled together and invested by the Brooklyn College Foundation (BCF) under the professional supervision of the Investment Committee of the BCF Board of Trustees. The principal (corpus) of an endowed fund is preserved and protected by the BCF. The foundation will not spend below the original gifted value of an endowed fund. Each endowed fund earns an annual payout (currently set at 4% of principal), which is used to finance the purpose of the fund.

Quasi-endowed Funds

Quasi-endowed (or sinking) funds may be established with gifts of $25,000 or more. Quasi-endowed funds are pooled together and invested with the BCF’s endowment. They are administered exactly the same way as endowed funds except in any given year when the market value of a quasi-endowed fund falls below its gifted value (during a period of market decline). When this occurs and the fund fails to earn interest, the BCF has the authority to invade the principal to provide a pre-set annual payout in an amount equivalent to the payout approved annually by the BCF Board of Trustees (currently set at 4% of principal). This ensures that the purpose of the fund is fulfilled, regardless of the state of the market.

Gift Levels

Both Endowed and Quasi-Endowed funds may be used to finance the following:

Gifts of $25,000 and up:

• Awards
• Prizes
• Internships
• Travel Stipends
• Departmental/Programmatic funds
• Time off for faculty research

Gifts of $100,000 and up:

• All listed in previous section
• Scholarships
• Presidential Scholarships
• Fellowships

Gifts of $1,000,000 and up:

• All listed in previous sections
• Professorships

Gifts of $1,500,000 and up:

• All listed in previous sections
• Endowed chair

Brooklyn College Foundation Presidential Scholarship Program

Alumni and friends who make a restricted contribution of $100,000 or more are able to establish a named Presidential Scholarship. These scholarships offer up to $4,000 for each of four years of study. They ensure access to world-class professors and top-quality courses and programs.

Scholarships

Current undergraduate full-time tuition at Brooklyn College is approximately $6,900 per year. Many of our students—65% of whom come from households with an annual income below $40,000—find it ever more challenging to pay for tuition and living expenses. Scholarship support is critical in enabling students to take advantage of the wonderful opportunities at the college.

Internships

Internship stipends enable Brooklyn College students to participate in internships and gain critical job skills and real-world work experience. Over the years, the importance of internships has continued to increase. Research indicates that students who participate in internships are more likely to continue their studies in college and stay on track. Not only do recent graduates with internship experience receive, on average, a 20% higher starting salary, but internships are also directly linked to hiring and corporate recruitment. Considering that 50% of internships are unpaid, many of our students cannot afford to participate in them without a stipend. A restricted gift for internship stipends will provide students with critical internship opportunities that will leverage their education and lay the groundwork for future employment and success.

Travel Funds for International Education

In our complex and interconnected world, global literacy is an essential pillar of learning. Incorporating international experiences into a college education helps students earn credit toward their degree, strengthens their professional résumé, improves their foreign language skills, creates lifelong memories, and broadens their perspectives on the world. Over the past two years, we have sought to expand our international connections and increase opportunities for our students to broaden their worldview by studying and conducting research in countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, China, England, Ghana, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Serbia, and Turkey. In order to take advantage of these opportunities, Brooklyn College students require financial support.

Name a Classroom

While our buildings have aged gracefully, many of our teaching facilities have not kept up.

In recognition of this challenge, the Class Act Campaign seeks to modernize our heritage classrooms by furnishing them with an array of technology, including the ability to hold video conferences, interactive meetings, and workshops. The classrooms are outfitted with a multimedia distribution system that broadcasts high-quality streaming video. Such classrooms, now common on American campuses, make it possible to augment lectures with video and online content. They also make it possible to reach out to colleagues from around the world.

The Class Act Campaign recognizes gifts of $100,000 for classrooms and $200,000 for lecture halls and laboratories. These spaces are marked with highly visible commemorative signage, and a dedication event is held in the donor’s honor. A plaque installed inside the named space, bearing the donor’s biographical information, provides a bridge between the donor and the students as they recognize the similarities in their lives. Such shared stories honor the achievements of the donor while providing today’s students with highly visible models for success.