Overview: Managing Restricted Gift Funds

Anyone who has financial oversight in a school or unit is entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that funds are spent according to donor and University-approved terms and restrictions. Financial managers must also be able to look back at history and explain how funds were used, for both financial audit and stewardship purposes.

On this page:

Guiding Principles

Ultimately, anyone who approves financial transactions must determine if charges are:

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Suspicious Financial Transactions

What should you do if something doesn't feel right about a financial transaction, including––but not limited to––fund transfers, purchase requisitions, and expenditure transactions? If you're an approver, don't approve. Ask questions, and elevate problems. Ultimately we are all governed by the University's Code of Conduct, and must hold ourselves and others to a high standard of integrity and quality. Even the appearance of misconduct or impropriety can be very damaging to the University.

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Accounts (Funds / Awards) Type at Stanford

When a fund is established, its source and use is identified in order to facilitate management and reporting of the different types of funds and restrictions. At Stanford, the words "fund" and "award" are used interchangeably when referring to specific sources of money. Learn more about types of funds that exist at the University:

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Restricted vs. Unrestricted Funds

When a donor makes a gift to the University, the donor may provide terms for the use of that gift. If the terms specify a particular purpose, the funds are "Restricted" to that purpose. If donor terms allow a gift to be used broadly within a school or unit, it is deemed "Unrestricted" at the unit level, but "Restricted" by central University administration. Income and appreciation produced by restricted endowments is also restricted as per the terms of the endowment.

There are multiple restricted definitions. Internally, Stanford refers to three levels of restriction––"Restricted," "Unrestricted," and "Designated". See details on Adminstrative Guide: 3.1.2 University Funds.

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What Can Be Charged to an Award?

First, follow the Guiding Principles. Note that for all awards created using donor funds, the fund authorization is the guiding document for the types of costs that can (and cannot) be covered. If a donor informs you of changes to the fund authorization, contact the Fund Accounting group immediately.

University policies around spending limits and how to code expenses apply to all awards. See Administrative Guide 3.1.4 Cost Policy for more information.

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Changed Terms of a Gift or Endowment Award

New, changed, or revised terms must be reflected in an award's fund authorization. When you receive a document from a faculty member or donor stipulating that the terms of a gift or endowment award have changed, please contact Fund Accounting immediately. They will reach out to appropriate staff in the Office of Development who can ensure that the language is valid and determine if a new signed agreement is required with the donor.

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When Fund Managers Become Unavailable

When a faculty member retires, leaves, or passes away, and there are gifts or endowments under their management, contact your unit's Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs. They will work with your school's Stewardship staff to help identify awards that need to be repurposed; in turn, Stewardship will work with the Restricted Funds team in the Planned Giving department of the Office of Development to perform outreach to donors when necessary.

NOTE:  In the School of Medicine, please contact the Director of Finance and Administration for your Department; they will work with the SoM Controller's Office to determine the most appropriate assignment. If no reassignment can be made, they will work with Medical Center Development to perform outreach to donors when necessary.

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Can New Gifts Be Added to Existing Awards?

Gifts with different restrictions may not be commingled in a common fund. Typically, named funds should only contain gifts from the primary donor(s). Named funds are usually defined as funds which include the name of a donor(s) in the award title [e.g., The John Donovan Fund for Asteroid Research or the Mary Smith Undergraduate Research Fund].

Particular attention should be paid to make sure that expendable gifts are not deposited into endowments.

If a gift arrives where the donor designates a specific purpose and you are unsure whether or not it can be deposited into an existing fund, request a new award via the Gift Transmittals system and/or reach out to your fund accountant or development stewardship officer.

Learn more on Administrative Guide 4.1.1: Gift Procurement Policies.

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University Endowment and Payout

The Endowment provides an ongoing source of income to support the University's teaching and research mission.

If donor terms explicitly do not allow endowment payout to be made when the market value falls below the book value, the endowment is invested in either Pool A, Pool B Limited, or Pool C. In those cases, payout may be limited during market downturns.

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Learn More...

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