Financial Report Glossary

The following financial report glossary is provided as a guide to help you understand balances and activity of your fund(s) at the University of Oklahoma Foundation.


Key Activity - July 1 to Date

Endowment Market Value

The current market value of your endowment (principal) includes your first and subsequent gifts to the fund, plus reinvested distributions based on market appreciation or depreciation.


This category includes outright gifts to the fund during the fiscal year. Unless directed otherwise, all gifts are added to the endowment principal.

Spending Account Balance

A balance in the spending account is the sum of the fiscal year annual endowment distribution, carryover balances from previous years, and in rare cases, gifts made to the spending account.  The spending account balance reflects this sum minus annual disbursements from the fund to OU beneficiaries.

Annual Endowment Distribution

Annual distributions from the endowment occur at the beginning of each fiscal year and are based upon a spending rule that pays 4.5 percent of the market value of the principal (averaged over the previous rolling 12 quarters) to the spending account.

Total Balance

Total balance is the endowment market value amount plus the spending account balance. If you have made a pledge to support your endowed fund and it has not been fully paid, the total balance will include your outstanding pledge amount.


The dollars spent during the fiscal year to support the fund's designated purpose at the University of Oklahoma.

Things to look for as you review your financial statement:

1. Do the expenditures match your original intent? For example, if you have a scholarship, is the college or department awarding one $1,000 scholarship instead of two for $500?

2. Is the balance in the spending account accumulating instead of being reinvested back into principal?

3. If no money was spent from your fund this year, are your criteria within the agreement too restrictive?

If you have a question about the scholarship award process, you may contact the Scholarship Office at (405) 325-4864. If you have general questions about your fund, contact Jana Moring at (405) 310-4848 or

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Seven Creative Ways to Fund Student Scholarships

  1. Commemorate a milestone event, like a class reunion, birthday, wedding, anniversary or retirement.
  2. Create a lasting legacy to honor or remember a loved one.
  3. Thank a special teacher or your parents.  There's no better way to pay it forward than to invest in a student's education, just as someone did for you once upon a time.
  4. Invest in tomorrow's leaders.  As a business leader, your professional organizations or a company has a powerful opportunity to invest in the future of your industry by creating a scholarship for future pacesetters.
  5. Contribute to an existing endowment.  It doesn't take a major gift to make a big difference. Donors united by a common vision can multiply the impact of a scholarship award.
  6. Provide annual scholarship awards to an expendable fund.  For donors who enjoy making a specific tax-deductible contribution each year, an annual gift to a named scholarship fund can be both practical and rewarding.
  7. Make a planned gift.  Whether you choose to create a will or living trust, there are a number of ways you can create a legacy at the University of Oklahoma.