One of AUB's highest priorities is to raise money for scholarships. Scholarships open doors and create opportunities for men and women who will go on to pioneer new businesses, care for the sick and wounded, propose innovative solutions to address society's problems, inspire students in the classroom, and serve their communities. Scholarships are also an investment in Lebanon and the region.
For a gift of $100,000, you can establish an endowed scholarship that will provide support for AUB students in perpetuity. All gifts that are made to establish an endowment are fully invested. Only a portion of the money that the endowed fund earns is used to support the donor's designation. AUB's current spending policy stipulates that it spend 4 percent of the moving average market value of its portfolio over 20 quarters. This means that, for example, a $100,000 endowment would generate about $4,000 in its first year of return. It has been our experience – and it is our expectation – that AUB's portfolio will earn more than 4 percent a year. The additional funds are added to the principal. As a result, the size of the endowed fund should grow over time thereby generating more money on an annual basis.
For a gift of $10,000 a year for three years, you can establish a current scholarship. The $10,000 scholarship will be used to provide partial tuition support for 2-3 AUB students.
Donor-funded scholarships are an important part of AUB's financial aid program, which totaled $72 million in 2019-20 – and is expected to exceed $90 million in 2020-21. There are now 775 donor-funded scholarships at AUB that provide urgently needed support for one in five full-time AUB students.