Request a New Endowment or Gift Project or Amend the Terms or Attributes

When creating a new endowment or gift project, all related documentation that evidences the terms, restrictions and obligations should be attached to the ChartField Request in ARC:

• Signed gift or pledge agreement, other donor correspondence
• Life income agreement
• Will or trust
• Solicitation or appeal
• Accepted proposal
• Other supporting internal memos/emails
• If creating a quasi-endowment, please submit either an Endowment Quasi Letter – Donor funded or Endowment Quasi Letter – Unrestricted transfer

See Creating and Updating ChartFields for more information.

There is additional information that is needed when creating or amending an endowment fund. For your understanding of the full process, use this process map to view the steps required to establish or amend an endowment.

This job aid contains further instructions on how to request the creation of endowment ChartFields in ARC. View and download the Endowment Project ChartField Requests job aid. 

Please submit new endowment requests by the 15th of each month in order to have the fund created and begin receiving payout in the next month.

For Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), all requests will be approved by CUIMC Controller’s Office before being submitted to Endowment Compliance.

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:

• Endowment and Gift Fund Administration and Compliance
• Decapitalizing Endowment Funds
• Designating Endowments as Central/Current

Trainings

• Endowment and Gift Compliance and Administration Certification (instructor-led)
• Endowment Project ChartField Requests (job aid)

Webpage

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