Request an Endowment Reinvestment

Learn about reinvesting at Columbia University.

Details

Reinvestment, also known as "recapping", is the process of adding some or all of the accumulated endowment payout distributed for spending back to the principal of the endowment. This typically occurs when the payout distributed for spending cannot or will not be used for a period of time.

For your understanding of the full reinvestment process, use this process map to view the steps required to reinvest an endowment.

Please send an email to Endowment Administration and Compliance at [email protected], and include:

  • Amount of the reinvestment
  • ChartString to debit and credit
  • An explanation of why the amount could not or will not be expended
  • Review the endowment terms and include the statement “I have verified the endowment’s terms and restrictions do not prohibit reinvestment.” 

No form is needed.

Schools or departments can also set an endowment fund to reinvest the payout automatically each month. Please submit an ARC Chartfield Request form (found in the ARC Portal via myColumbia) to select the reinvestment attribute.  When the payout later needs to be spent, submit an ARC Chartfield Request to remove the reinvestment attribute. For more information, see Request a New Endowment or Gift Project or Amend the Terms or Attributes. 

Contacts

Specific inquiries should be directed as follows:

Questions regarding the financial administration of endowment and gift funds:

Office of the Controller
Contact: Jacqueline Erickson
Director, Endowment and Gift Administration and Compliance
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (212) 854-9689

Questions regarding legal issues (e.g., legal interpretation of terms and restrictions, modifying restrictions):

Office of the General Counsel
Contact: Remi Silverman
Associate General Counsel
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (212) 854-0287

In addition, the Office of University Compliance provides a compliance hotline website for confidential, anonymous and open communication of any compliance concerns or suspicions of business misconduct.

Policies

For comprehensive guidance on how to manage and spend endowment funds, the University has developed the following policies:

Trainings
Webpage

To access your Term Sheets, visit endowmentadmin.columbia.edu.

Still have questions?

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