The endowment is the financial cornerstone of Carleton’s excellence, one that ensures the college’s distinction and quality not only today but also for many decades to come. Each year, money from endowment earnings supplies almost a quarter of the college’s annual operating budget — significantly affecting the amount of aid available to students, the quality of our academic programs and facilities, and faculty salaries.
We want our endowment to support a substantially larger proportion of Carleton’s noble work, in perpetuity. The endowment grows through the accumulation of current gifts, bequests, and planned gifts that are invested to support the college’s mission, generating crucial income for Carleton. For many years, Carleton’s endowment has been considerably smaller than our peers; in fiscal year 2016, Carleton’s endowment was equivalent to $383,671 per full-time student while the average endowment for similar, top-tier liberal arts colleges was $511,072 per full-time student. Through the Every Carl for Carleton campaign, $259 million — 65 percent of the campaign total — will be committed to the endowment.
With this essential growth, the college will ensure a continuous source of funding for financial aid, teaching, research, and student services, thereby benefitting every Carl for generations.
