Annual Report 2005-06
Support for KU in 2006
Total university support
KU Endowment annually provides direct financial support for projects and programs across the university’s four campuses in Lawrence, Kansas City, Wichita and Overland Park. Most of this support comes from the return on investment of endowed funds and other long-term funds. Additional support comes from gifts designated by donors as expendable, or available for immediate expenditure.
During fiscal year 2006, KU Endowment provided $99 million in financial support for KU, down 4.7 percent from last year’s record of $103.9 million. While support for students and faculty increased, the costs for campus construction went down (from $41.6 million in 2005 to $33.1 million in 2006) for the first time in four years – the result of fewer university building projects this year.
Since its founding in 1891, KU Endowment has provided $1.3 billion in support for KU.
Student support
In 2006, KU Endowment disbursed $26.4 million in assistance to students, an increase of about 7 percent over $24.7 million in 2005. Also in 2006, donors established 80 new funds for student assistance.
Support for KUs greatest needs
About 5 percent of all gifts are unrestricted, that is, not designated by donors for a specific purpose. The funds established through the years from these gifts support programs that otherwise would go unfunded. These funds provide KU with the flexibility to meet unexpected opportunities and changing needs.
The chancellor determines which projects will receive support from these resources, and these allocations are subject to approval by the KU Endowment Executive Committee. In 2006, KU Endowment made available $7.1 million from unrestricted resources for university support.
Our share of KU's budget
KU Endowment funds cover a significant part of KU’s annual revenue. The most recent figures, from 2005, show that KU Endowment provided 10.4 percent of the total operating budget. State appropriations dropped from 49.4 percent in 1985 to 24 percent in 2005.
