The NOLS Endowment

Photo: Pascal Beauvais

A strong endowment—funding set aside in perpetuity to support the mission of the school—is equity for the future of NOLS and wilderness education.

With this group of funds, NOLS can commit to long-term scholarship and outreach programs to benefit students with confidence that the school can sustain these programs over time. Further, the endowment allows us to pursue excellence through funding faculty chairs and staff summits. These moneys are an important supplement to tuition-generated revenue for the school, contributing to overall financial stability and allowing us to pursue school-wide priorities.

How does the endowment fit into Campaign NOLS?

Campaign NOLS will allow us to grow the school’s endowment to a sum that is equal to that of the school’s operating revenue for one year, a total of about $30 million. By setting this goal, we ensure the school’s ability to maintain a strong foundation despite potentially unfavorable economic conditions. $15 million will be raised toward the endowment during the campaign. We have allocated up to one third of endowment support during the campaign to be donated in the form of planned gifts.

How can I participate?

Donors can contribute to the NOLS endowment by donating a gift to the fund as a whole, or by establishing their own endowed scholarship. The minimum gift or pledge required to create an endowed scholarship at NOLS is $100,000.

For more information, contact Pip Coe, director of alumni and development (800-332-4280 or development@nols.edu).